Humanities (Social Studies)

Overview

Social Studies is compulsory for all Express and Normal (Academic) students at the Upper Secondary level. Together with either Geography (Elective), History (Elective) or Literature (Elective), they make up the subject commonly known as Humanities.

The Social Studies curriculum seeks to prepare our GEMS to be citizens of tomorrow by helping them to understand the inter-connectedness of Singapore and the world they live in, and to appreciate the complexities of the human experience. More importantly, we seek to develop our GEMS to become informed, concerned and participative, competent in decision-making with an impassioned spirit to contribute responsibly to the society and world they live in.

The Department’s approach is based on the Humanities Inquiry approach. Through inquiry and authentic learning experiences, our GEMS attain relevant knowledge and understanding about issues concerning Singapore and the world; develop critical and reflective thinking, and suggest solutions to the myriad of issues facing our society.

Issue Investigation

The Secondary 3 Issue Investigation (II) project is a critical part of the Social Studies curriculum. It forms an important component of our GEMS Continual Assessment. In II, our GEMS work to identify and research on societal needs in Singapore. Our GEMS also research and suggest ways to mitigate these issues.

In 2023, the II theme was ‘Sustainability’. Students worked in group to research and gain appreciation of the perspectives of different stakeholders, understand the measures taken, the challenges and trade-offs in managing these issues. They made recommendations and advocated for active contributions towards the betterment of society.

To align to the Singapore Smart Nation vision, students were taught how to create a website to feature their II research, data collection and suggestions to appeal to their target audiences.

The following are screenshots and links of some artistically designed II websites from the 2023 cohort.

Humanities Department Enrichment Programme

2. GEMS Challenge – Model United Nations (MUN)

To foster critical thinking and hone research and writing skills, the Humanities Department offers the Model United Nations (MUN) enrichment programme to selected Secondary 3 students. Through participating in various MUNs, students gained a better understanding of global issues and insights on the mechanisms of international relations. They also get to sharpen their public speaking and debating skills during these academic simulations.

In 2023, our GEMS participated in the Singapore Model Cabinet (SMC) conference and the Ngee Ann Secondary Model United Nations (NASMUN) conference.

The SMC was a simulation of the Singapore Cabinet where our GEMS took on the role of Singapore’s policymakers and discussed how Singapore could tackle various issues, given our constraints and differing needs. Our GEMS gained a better understanding and appreciation for the United Nations through NASMUN which simulated the workings of the United Nations.

During the NASMUN 2023, two of our GEMS - Helen Hu and Rainer Lim of J32 were awarded the Best Delegate of their respective committees. This award was given to the most knowledgeable student representative who presented the best ideas in their respective committees.

Speaker Series Programme

The Speaker Series programme is a series of talks organised by the Humanities Department, where speakers from various segments of society are invited to share with Secondary 3 students about different societal concerns in Singapore. The goal of the Speaker Series program is to help students better understand and appreciate how the concepts and issues in the Upper Secondary Social Studies syllabus relate to real life, the roles played by the different stakeholders, and how individuals can contribute to society.

For the first session of the Speaker Series 2023 on 8th February, we were honored to have Ms Tin Pei Ling, Member of Parliament for MacPherson Constituency to be our guest speaker. Ms Tin shared with our Secondary 3 GEMS about the issues faced by Macpherson residents. She shared some examples of the measures taken to serve the needs of the residents, her own experiences and how individuals like our students could make a positive difference through acts of kindness such as acknowledging others by smiling and keeping our environment clean. She also shared about the various efforts taken to ensure sustainability in the MacPherson constituency.

For our second session held on 23rd March, we welcomed representatives of The Food Bank Singapore as our guest speakers. They shared with our students about the less-privileged groups in Singapore who struggle with food security and the many initiatives taken to help them, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. They also shared suggestions on how our GEMS can play a part in ensuring food security in Singapore.

GEMS Challenge

Objective

The ASEAN Internationalisation Programme (AIP) aims to help students better understand the impact and opportunities brought about by globalisation.

Programme

Globalisation is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that is transforming the world in profound ways. Thailand is no exception, as it has become increasingly integrated into the global economy and culture.

This programme enables students to develop a deeper understanding of globalisation and its impact on Thailand by learning independently about the culture and economy of Thailand through research, readings, workshops, and interactions with Thai students.

Thai culture: Students learn about the different aspects of Thai culture, such as its language, arts, and cuisine. They explore the ways in which Thai culture has been influenced by other cultures around the world.

Thailand economy: They also learn about the Thai economy including its major industries such as tourism. They explore the challenges and opportunities that Thailand faces in the global economy.

Students will work in groups to research on various aspects of Thailand/Singapore and they will share their findings with the Thai students virtually. This helps the students to foster empathy, resilience and humility as they interact with the Thai students and appreciate a world outside of Singapore.

Photo 1: Students learn more about Thai traditional dance.

Photo 2: Hands-on making of traditional Thai Handicraft.

Photo 3: A student’s consolidation of learning about Thai culture through infographic.

Photo 4: Zoom Conference with Thai students.

For more information, do refer to the following links: