Laid down as a regulation by the Ministry of Education and Research on 14.05.2013.
Gjelder fra: 2013-08-01T00:00:00 +2
Gjelder til: 2020-07-31T00:00:00 +2
Purpose
The elective subjects shall contribute to help pupils, individually or as a group, strengthen the desire to learn and experience a sense of mastery through practical and varied work. Elective subjects are interdisciplinary subjects that contribute to comprehensive and contextual learning.
Democracy is a cornerstone of society. A democratic society presupposes that its citizens respect and comply with human rights and demonstrate basic democratic values like equality, gender equality, respect, tolerance, freedom of expression and free elections. The goal of democracy is to provide citizens with the opportunity to participate actively in society.
Young people need to understand the significance of the customary rules of democratic interaction and taking part in society in different ways. Developing a pupil’s sense of independence and personal identity, the ability to form own opinions and the courage to express one’s own ideas are central themes in the subject. The school is a democratic arena for children and young people where they feel their voices are heard and where they can contribute and influence events in their daily lives.
Learning in the subject of Democracy in practice shall allow pupils to work with the idea of human rights and develop a better understanding of democracy. Furthermore, the subject will allow young people to build experience and establish own viewpoints, and provide them with the skills needed to provide input in issues that concern them. The subject provides pupils with an opportunity to do practical work together with other pupils at the school through the pupil council and in the school environment in general, in the local community and on global issues. The elective subject shall promote the development of an inclusive environment characterised by a sense of security and social belonging in which preventive measures and conflict resolution are basic ground rules. The subject shall stimulate participation and interest in democratic processes.
The elective subject gathers elements from the school subjects of Social Science, Religion, Lifestyles and Ethics and Norwegian/Sami.
Main subject areas
The elective subject is structured in two main subject areas. The main subject areas complement each other, and should be viewed in relation to one another.
Overview of the main subject areas:
Main Subject Areas | |
Democracy | Contribution |
Democracy
The main subject area deals with values and skills. Knowledge about human rights and democratic values are essential tools for participating in a democratic society. The main subject area also deals with practicing democratic skills such as source criticism, forming own opinions, argumentation and the ability to speak out and express oneself. Knowledge about methods used to deal with and resolve conflicts is also included in the main subject area.
Contribution
The main subject area covers understanding the democratic decision-making processes at different levels. Furthermore, the main subject area deals with assisting the pupil council to improve the learning environment. It aims to motivate pupils to participate in democratic processes in their local community. Creating interest in discovering and counteracting violations to human rights is also included in the main subject area.
Teaching hours
The elective subject of Democracy in practice: 57 teaching hours per year
Teaching hours are given in 60-minute units.
Basic skills
Basic skills are integrated into the competence aims for the subject, based on the specific needs of that subject.
Competence aims
Democracy in practice
Democracy
The aims of the studies are to enable pupils to- give an account of human rights and basic democratic values
- give an account of and discuss the concepts of gender equality and equality
- use information about society to be able to distinguish between fact and opinion, and identify prejudices and relate critically to sources of information
- argument a case and participate in the exchange of opinions through suitable channels
- present and apply conflict resolution techniques
Contribution
The aims of the studies are to enable pupils to- map out and give examples of democratic processes and decisions made at the school or in one’s local community
- assist or carry out assignments for the school’s pupil council, and plan and implement measures to improve the learning environment at one’s school
- identify violations to human rights and use different methods and channels to protest against such abuses
Assessment
Provisions for final assessment:
Overall achievement assessment
Year level | Provision |
When the subject is completed | The pupils shall receive an overall achievement mark |
Examination for pupils
Year level | Provision |
When the subject is completed | There is no examination in the subject |
Examination for external candidates
Year level | Provision |
When the subject is completed | There are no arrangements for participation by external candidates in the subject |
The provisions for assessment are stipulated in the regulations of the Norwegian Education Act.