highschool/Grade 9/Civics/CHV205/Unit_1_Introduction_To_Civics.md

Unit 1: Introduction To Civics

• Why we study civics: We study civics so we can make informed decisions and topics regarding politics, and we also learn more about our own rights, freedoms, responsibilites, and the government.

Terms

Term	Definition
Civil Society	voluntary organizations of citizens that work to make a difference on important public issues
Democracy	a government in which the supreme power is rested in the peopple and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation, usually involving periodically held free election
Majority Rule	The principle that the opinion of the greater number should prevail
Minority Rule	The principle that the rights of the minority must be safeguarded

Types Of Government Systems

• Type of government system for Canada is Consitutional Monarchy, we are under the rule of the queen of England, but we have consitutions, such as democractic votes and prime ministers.
• Type of government system for Totalitaria is most likely Oligarchy, where a select few (the three wise men) rule the people

Type Of Government	Description	Examples
Oligarchy	Rule by a few or by a select elite group of people	Russia, China, Iran, Ancient Rome
Monarchy	Rule by a hereditary king or queen	Saudi Arabia, Spain
Anarchy	Absence of government or total chaos	Iceland, Iraq 2003/2004
Consitutional Monarchy	Rule by a king or queen whose powers are limited by a consitution	Sweden, England, Canada
Dictatorship	Rule by one person - often a military figure	Sudan, North Korea, Germany
Theocracy	Rule by God, gods, or a religious leader under God’s direction	Yemen, Iran
Repubic	A nation not ruled by a monarchy	Czech Republic, Argentina, U.S

Leadership Styles

• Leadership style for people who do not know each other is most likely Autocratic, they need a leader to tell each of them what to do to achieve good teamwork.
• Leadership style for people who are motivated is most likely lassiez-faire, where they are all motivated, and will independently work on the project.

Style	Characteristics	When Effective	When Ineffective
Autocratic	- Tells others what to do - Limits discussion on ideas and new ways of doing things - Group does not experience feeling of teamwork	- Time is limited - Individuals/group lack skill and knowledge - Group does not know each other	- Developing a strong sense of team is the goal - Members have some degree of skill/knowledge - Group wants an element of spontaneity in their work
Laissez-Faire	- Gives little or no direction to group/individuals - Opinion is offered only when requested - A person does not seem to be in charge	- High degree of skill and motivation - A sense of team exists - Routine if familiar to participants	- Low sense of team/interdependence - Members have low degree of skill/knowledge - Group expects to be told what to do
Democratic	- Involves group members in planning and carrying out activities - Asks, rather than tells - Promotes a sense of teamwork	- Time is available - Group is motivated and/or a sense of team exists - Members of the group have some degree of skill/knowledge	- Group is unmotivated - Members have little skill or knowledge - High degree of conflict present

Democracy

• Democracy: a government in which the supreme power is rested in the peopple and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation, usually involving periodically held free election.
• Origins of Democracy: Ancient Greece around the Middle of the 5th century BCE
• Minority rights: The principle that the rights of the minority must be safeguarded.
• Majority Rule: The principle that the opinion of the greater number should prevail.
• During democratic decision making, the majority rule states the idea that the majority of the people voted for will be the chosen onr, however, there are measures that ensure that the powerful groups are not bullying the minority (minority rights).

5 Central Beliefs of Democracy

1. Citizens should have a voice in decision making
2. All citizens should be treated as equal
3. All citizens should have fundamental rights and freedom
4. Citizens should have a sense of responsibility to other people in the community
5. Citizens should have a sense of what is socially just

Conflict Resolution

Type	Description	Pros	Cons
Physical Force	Power, violence or pressure direct against a person consisting in physical act	Fast, gets the job done	Violence and huge losses from both sides
Negotiation	Discussion aimed at reaching an agreement	Peaceful	Very slow, since no one wants the worse side of the arguement
Mediation	Intervention in a dispute in order to resolve it	Somewhat peaceful, the conflict is usually solved quickly	May be bad, as someone may get the worse side
Arbitration	The process of solving an arguement between people by helping them agree to an acceptable solution	Usually peaceful, and both sides are usually happy	Takes longer than mediation, and physical force can still be involved
Consensus	A generally accepted opinion discussion among a group of people	Usually peaceful, both sides are usually happy	Takes a long time, lots of arguing, its hard to come to a common agreement

Importance Of Rights

• The 2 documents that guarantee people’s rights and freedoms in Canada are:
  1. The Canadian charter of Rights and Freedoms
  2. Universal Declaration of Human Rights
  • These things help protect our rights, in the case that someone wishes to breach or impale your rights.
• Rights are something that you are entilted to, for example, the right to vote. However, with great power, comes great responsibility (spiderman), so with your right to vote, you have the responsibility to express your opinions in electrions with your vote.
• Responsibilities are the things that are expected from you that comes with your rights.

Right	Responsibility
Right To Drive	Drive safely, follow traffic laws
Right To Vote	Express Opinions in elections
Right to free education and health care	Pay taxes

Antz Movie Diplomacy

Character	Beliefs And Values	Goal/Plan For The Colony	How They Dealt With Those That Opposed Them	Type Of Leadership	Type Of Government
Queen	Peaceful, public figure	To keep thriving, and continue the way it was	Not much, she wasn’t aware of the general’s plans	Autocratic, she was the leader of the colony, and everyone had to listen to her	Monarchy, the group is ruled by a queen, however, it can also be consitutional, as the general had almost equal power
General	Wants to separate the society into the strong and weak, and the strong should lead the colony	To weed out the weak ones, and continue forward with the strong ones	He used physical force, and did whatever means necessary to silence those who opposed him	Autocratic, where he was the leader and basically made all the decision	Dictatorship, ruled by one military person
Z / Bala	Wants to have freedom, individualism	To change how the society worked, so that every ant can think for themselves, so they can thrive happily and peacefully	He mostly used negotiation to talk and discuss with them	Democratic, with the recurring motif of everyone thinking for themselves and everyone expressing their own opinions	Mostly resembles republic, as Z wants to have a system that isn’t ruled by a king or a queen, but by the people