Governance and Society

“Education should be the handmaid of citizenship.” – Calvin Coolidge

The NJC curriculum for Governance and Society (GS) aims to cultivate informed, concerned and participative citizens of tomorrow. We seek to help our students better understand the interconnectedness of Singapore and the world they live in, and to appreciate the complexities of the human experience. Drawing on aspects of society that are of meaning and interest to the students, our GS module seeks to ignite students’ curiosity to inquire into real-world issues that concern their lives. Through inquiry and authentic learning experiences, students will attain relevant knowledge and understanding about these issues, develop critical and reflective thinking skills, and appreciate multiple perspectives.

GS in NJC is offered at Upper JH levels. The Parallel Curriculum Model framework is adopted, where the core curriculum of Upper Secondary Geography and History are extended to create a curriculum of connections between the different subjects. This pushes students to look for relationships among disciplines, time, location, and perspectives and see that all knowledge is connected. At JH3, students explore the concepts of identity, diversity, harmony, citizenship, and governance. This fosters a deep understanding of the values that define Singapore society, what it means to be a citizen of Singapore, and heighten awareness of the need to develop personal and collective responsibility to promote and maintain harmony in a diverse society like Singapore. At JH4, students explore the broad concept of globalisation. This module aims to make meaning of living in a globalised world, where countries, companies and individuals are interconnected and interdependent. We also examine how the uneven impact of globalisation result in trade-offs and tensions, leading to varying responses from countries, organisations and individuals. Through this, we hope to help students appreciate the complex decision-making processes behind responses towards the impact of globalisation, and begin to see that making well-reasoned and responsible decisions as informed, concerned and participative citizens in a globalised world, will secure Singapore and the world’s future.

GS modules are assessed via coursework, where students are expected to put the knowledge they have into an authentic experience. In this way, students are given the opportunity to bring their learning to life as authentic practitioners, thus allowing our students to extend the classroom, connect with the community, and develop expertise in what they have studied. Another important component of GS is personal reflection. Through reflecting on their learning experiences, we hope to help the students further their self-understanding, be meta-cognitive in their learning, and make meaning of their learning.