Aim

Leaving Certificate Politics and Society aims to develop the learner’s capacity to engage in reflective and active citizenship, informed by the insights and skills of social and political sciences.

Objectives

The objectives of Leaving Certificate Politics and Society are to develop

• an understanding of the social systems within which people act: locally, nationally and more widely
• an understanding of concepts which underpin contemporary systems of government and of the diverse models for making these concepts operational
• an understanding of and a respect for human rights and responsibilities, for human dignity and for democratic modes of governance
• an understanding of and a respect for sustainable development
• a commitment to and a capacity for active participation in the learners’ social and political worlds
• a commitment to and a capacity for critical, discursive and independent thinking
• a commitment to and a capacity for engagement in peaceful and democratic means of resolving conflicts
• a sense of care for others and a respect for and a valuing of diversity in all areas of human life within the parameters of human rights principles
• the capacity to analyse and interpret qualitative and quantitative social and political research data, and to use such data carefully in forming opinions and coming to conclusions.