Senior Secondary Civic Education Flashcards (Grades 10-12)

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions and concepts across Grades 10 to 12 Civic Education notes.

Constitution

A body of fundamental laws, principles, and conventions according to which a government of a state operates.

Constitutionalism

The practice of strictly adhering to the constitution.

Written Constitution

A constitution whose content, provisions, or principles are embodied or documented in a single formal document.

Unwritten Constitution

A constitution whose provisions or contents are not embodied in a single formal document but exist in a collection of documents, statutes, and traditional practices.

Flexible Constitution

A constitution that can easily be amended by a two-thirds majority of Members of Parliament without calling for a referendum.

Rigid Constitution

A constitution that is difficult to amend and requires a special body and procedure such as a Constituent Assembly, National Constitutional Conference, or Referendum.

Referendum

A situation when citizens are asked to vote YES or NO on an important national issue.

Constituent Assembly

A body of representatives elected by their respective interest groups to formulate, amend, or adopt a constitution of a country.

Governance

The system and manner by which people are ruled with or without their consent, involving the management of public affairs.

Good Governance

A system of government that is legitimate, competent, accountable, transparent, and respects human rights and the rule of law.

Bad Governance

A government that is not legitimate, competent, or accountable, and fails to respect human rights and the rule of law.

Single Member Plurality System (SMPS)

An electoral system, also known as First Past The Post, where the candidate receiving the highest number of votes wins the election.

Single Member Majoritarian System (SMMS)

An electoral system where a winning candidate must receive an absolute majority of over 50% plus 1 of the total votes cast.

Proportional Representation System (PRS)

An electoral method where legislative seats are shared among political parties according to the proportion or percentage of total votes scored nationwide.

Citizenship

A state of belonging to a particular country, representing a mutual legal and moral relationship between an individual and the nation.

Jus Sanguinis

The rule that determines natural citizenship based on blood relation or parentage descent.

Jus Soli

The rule that determines natural citizenship based on the place of birth within a country's territory.

Alien

A foreigner residing in a host country that is not their own, who owes allegiance to their home state.

Human Rights

Universal legal guarantees and entitlements inherent to all human beings simply by virtue of being human.

Holocaust

The mass killing of approximately six million Jews under Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

Corruption

The soliciting, accepting, obtaining, giving, promising, or offering gratification by way of a bribe, or the abuse of public office for personal benefit.

Red Tape

Unnecessarily long administrative procedures that public officers follow, which can induce corrupt practices to hasten action.

Culture

The sum total of learned behaviors, beliefs, values, customs, and complete way of life passed down across generations in a society.

Stereotyping

Forming an opinion or judgment about an individual purely on the basis of their group membership.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one's own culture is superior to others, leading to judging other cultures against one's own cultural standards.

Depressants

Substances, also known as sedatives or hypnotics, that slow down the activity of the central nervous system.

Zambian Bill of Rights

Part III of the Zambian Constitution that entrenches fundamental human rights and freedoms guaranteed to individuals.

Civil Society

Non-military, non-governmental organizations and individuals operating outside government control to defend and promote ideals of good governance.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

The total monetary value of all final goods and services produced within a country during a specific period of one year.

Collective Bargaining

A method of negotiation in which employees negotiate wages and working conditions as a unified group with their employer, usually through a trade union.

Gender Equity

The process of treating women and men fairly in accordance with their respective needs in society.

Negative Peace

The condition characterized purely by the absence of direct physical violence or war.

Positive Peace

The presence of social, economic, political, and ecological conditions that ensure well-being and just relationships in society.

Child Abuse

Any form of physical, mental, or verbal ill-treatment, harm, or neglect inflicted on a child.

Globalisation

The worldwide integration, interdependence, and interrelationships between individuals, firms, and nations in terms of trade, technology, and communication.