Page 18 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies
Students develop an understanding of the relevance of law in everyday life and of their rights and responsibilities within the Canadian legal system. What they learn about the law will also help students understand why laws change over time.
The Grade 11 and 12 law courses introduce students to the legal studies inquiry process and the concepts of legal thinking. Students will develop ways of thinking about law through the application of these concepts. They will also use the legal studies inquiry process as they gather, interpret, and analyse evidence and information on issues relating to justice and human rights and make informed judgements and draw conclusions about them.
POLITICS
The global project of the twenty-first century is political: to engage citizens in and out of government ... in responding to [serious global] challenges.... We need a way of understanding politics that embraces citizens both inside and outside of government since each have work that only they can do.
Harold H. Saunders, Politics Is About Relationship: A Blueprint for the Citizen’s Century (2005)
Politics involves the study of how societies are governed, how policy is developed, how power is distributed, and how citizens take public action. The Grade 11 and 12 politics courses focus on the processes of public decision making, ways to implement political change, and how individuals, groups, and institutions respond to issues of local, national, and international importance. These courses enable students to develop their understanding of what it means to be a responsible citizen and to explore various elements of the citizenship education framework.
The Grade 11 and 12 politics courses provide opportunities for students to investigate a range of issues of political importance at the local, national, and global level. Students will explore issues related to policy making, political engagement, the distribution of power, human rights, and international relations. Students are encouraged to explore political thought, to clarify their own values and positions relating to political issues, and to explore ways in which they can contribute to political change.
In the Grade 11 and 12 politics courses, students will develop their ability to apply the political inquiry process and the concepts of political thinking. Students will continue to develop ways of thinking about politics through the application of these concepts. They will also develop their ability to apply the political inquiry process as they gather, interpret, and analyse data and information relating to issues of political importance and make informed judgements and draw conclusions about them.
CONCEPTS UNDERLYING THE CANADIAN AND WORLD STUDIES CURRICULUM
Concepts of Disciplinary Thinking
In Canadian and world studies, it is crucial that students not simply learn various facts but that they develop the ability to think and to process content in ways best suited to each subject. To that end, the curriculum focuses on developing students’ ability to apply concepts of disciplinary thinking, which are inherent in “doing” each subject. Each of the subjects in the Canadian and world studies curriculum features a particular way of thinking
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