social studies

• • Emphasizes national identity over diversity to help immigrants bond with existing citizens and reduce tensions
• Assimilation policy in France:

  • Requires immigrants to adopt the beliefs and practices of the majority group in the country
  • Immigrants undergo French language courses and civic education about life in France before gaining permanent residency
  • Need to demonstrate knowledge of French history and culture, French language proficiency, and pass a French cultural test to be eligible for French nationality
  • Immigrants interact with locals to attain fluency in French language and better communication
• Integration policy in Singapore:

  • Allows immigrants to retain their unique identities while adapting to the norms, culture, and values of the country
  • Focuses on bilingualism, where students learn English and one of the official Mother Tongue Languages (MTLs)
  • Learning English fosters a common language for communication between locals and immigrants
  • Promotes a sense of belonging and better integration amongst different groups of people to ensure harmony in society
• Assimilation policy in France requires all citizens to adopt the beliefs and practices of the majority in the country
• Meant to create a homogenous society where immigrants are no different from the native French
• Increased number of immigrants, particularly from the North African region, threatens the assimilation policy
• Minority communities, including Muslims, are reluctant to remove their religious symbols in public
• Immigrants have difficulties fitting in and are discriminated against in schools, at the workplace, and in their neighborhoods
• Questioning the effectiveness of assimilating minorities into French society
• Source A:

  • French school established in 1954 incorporating France's assimilation policy in its education system
  • Welcomes non-French speaking students from all over the world
  • Teaches French, French culture, and English to help students adapt and excel
• Source B:

  • View that France's assimilation policy forces individuals to conform to French ideals and ways
  • Individuals lose their original identity
• Source C:

  • Account by a Frenchwoman with immigrant parents from Senegal
  • Experienced racial discrimination in corporate recruiting
  • Client rejected candidates based on their ethnic backgrounds
• Source D:

  • Frenchman's response stating racism is not an issue in France
  • Believes all citizens are treated equally as long as they follow the French way
  • Contradicted by Source C, where discrimination is experienced
• Source E:

  • Report highlighting racial or ethnic discrimination in housing projects, discotheques, and places of employment in France
  • Government established a racism hotline to address discrimination concerns
• Source F:

  • Survey results showing French people's negative perceptions towards immigrants
  • Majority feel immigration is causing unwanted changes in the country
  • Concerns about refugees' ability to integrate and impact on public services
• Philosophy of Social Studies:

  • Prepares students to understand the interconnectedness of Singapore and the world
  • Aims to help students appreciate the complexities of the human experience
  • Ignites curiosity to inquire into real-world issues concerning their lives
• Design of the Syllabus:

  • Aligned with Desired Outcomes of Education and 21st Century Competencies
  • Based on the 'Head, Heart, Hands' framework for National Education
  • Updated to remain current and relevant
  • Promotes engaging pedagogies and balance of content and skills
• Issues in Social Studies:

  • Explores Citizenship and Governance
  • Living in a Diverse Society
  • Being Part of a Globalised World
• Issue 1: Exploring Citizenship and Governance:

  • Focuses on working for the good of society and understanding citizenship
  • Attributes shaping citizenship include legal status, identity, and participation in public affairs
  • Functions of government in maintaining order, justice, and providing goods and services for the public
  • Role of citizens in working for the good of society through participation and influencing government decisions
• Guiding Questions:

  1. What does it mean to be a citizen of my country?

  2. How do we decide what is good for society?

  3. How can we work for the good of society?

  • Attributes shaping citizenship, competing needs and interests, functions of government, role of citizens in working for the good of society
• Attributes shaping citizenship:

  • Legal status
  • Sense of identity
  • Participation in public affairs
• Competing needs and interests require trade-offs to be made
• Functions of government:

  • Rule-making, rule execution, and rule adjudication
• Role of government in working for the good of society:

  • Maintaining internal order and external security
  • Ensuring justice
  • Providing goods and services for the public
  • Safeguarding interests of citizens
• Role of citizens in working for the good of society:

  • Avenues of citizen participation
  • Outcomes of public participation
• Different factors that shape identity and contribute to a diverse society:

  • Nationality
  • Race and ethnicity
  • Religion
  • Socio-economic status
• Reasons for movement of people to Singapore:

  • Immigration policy
  • Economic opportunities
  • Socio-cultural environment
• Experiences and effects of living in a diverse society:

  • Socio-cultural diversity
  • Socio-economic diversity
• Responses in a diverse society:

  • Management and impact of socio-cultural diversity
  • Management and impact of socio-economic diversity
• Driving forces of globalisation:

  • Developments in transportation
  • Growth of Multinational Corporations (MNCs)
  • Technological advancements
• Economic impact on countries, companies, and individuals:

  • Economic growth and downturn for countries
  • Higher profits/market share and lower profits/market share for companies
  • Higher income/greater employment opportunities and loss of incomes and employment for individuals
• Cultural impact on countries and individuals:

  • Homogenisation and hybridisation
  • Different degrees of acceptance and rejection
• Security impact on countries and individuals:

  • Security and vulnerability
  • Management of trade-offs
• Source A:

  • The cartoonist mocks the burkini ban by portraying the French policeman as ignorant and unable to differentiate between a burkini and a diving suit
  • The scuba diver in Source A clarifies that she is not wearing a burkini
  • The author suggests that many French individuals may have been unfairly discriminated against by the police, similar to the woman scuba diver in the source
• Source B:

  • Zanetti believes that the burkini ban is unfair and harms the community by taking the beach away from some people and punishing them
  • Zanetti argues that the ban creates prejudice against those who choose to wear the burkini
• Source E:

  • Shows a pair of policemen asking a lady to remove her burkini at a beach in Nice
  • The policemen claim they are helping her "against oppression," but in reality, they are oppressing and bullying her by not allowing her to wear the burkini, which is not a religious costume
• Source C:

  • French Prime Minister Manuel Valls supports the burkini ban, stating that it upholds French values and is not compatible with the values of France and the Republic
  • Valls believes that banning the burkini demonstrates the French value of equality through the effective enforcement of secularism, where religious clothing like the burkini should not be displayed in public in France
• Source D:

  • Five French mayors banned the burkini, considering it a threat to public order, hygiene, water safety, and morality, likening it to a new weapon of war against the French republic
  • The editors suggest that the ban is justified because many French leaders are concerned about the potential negative impact of the burkini on French society