Woodlands Secondary School 2016

1. Chap 1: What does
it mean to be a
citizen?JKL (2016)

2. Table of Contents
● Citizenship - What is it? Why is it important?
● Attainment of Citizenship - How?
● Rights and Responsibilities of a citizen

4. So what exactly is
citizenship?

5. Going back to where it all started...
“A polis or a state belongs to the order of ‘compounds’, in the same way as all
other things which form a single ‘whole’, but a ‘whole’ composed, none the less, of
a number of different parts. This being the case, it clearly follows that we must
inquire into the nature of the citizen (i.e. the parts) before inquiring into the nature
of the state (i.e. the whole composed of such parts). In other words, a state is a
compound made up of citizens; and this compels us to consider who should
properly be called a citizen and what a citizen really is.”
Aristotle, The Politics, originally written ca. 335 BC, cited in Blaug, R. &
Schwarzmantel, J. , 2000, 208.

6. Aristotle

7. Going back to where it all started...
“A polis or a state belongs to the order of ‘compounds’, in the same way as all
other things which form a single ‘whole’, but a ‘whole’ composed, none the less, of
a number of different parts. This being the case, it clearly follows that we must
inquire into the nature of the citizen (i.e. the parts) before inquiring into the nature
of the state (i.e. the whole composed of such parts). In other words, a state is a
compound made up of citizens; and this compels us to consider who should
properly be called a citizen and what a citizen really is.”
Aristotle, The Politics, originally written ca. 335 BC, cited in Blaug, R. &
Schwarzmantel, J. , 2000, 208.

8. Quick Buzz
1. What makes me a Singaporean?
2. How will these set me apart from the other countries’
citizens?

9. Citizens are people who belong to a country.
The attributes that shape citizenship are “a sense of belonging to the
country” and “participating in meaningful causes to complement the
government”.

10. Attainment of
citizenship -
HOW?

11. Shaping Citizenship...
Shaped by Legal Status (Granted)
descent
country of birth
marriage
naturalisation
Shaped by Identity and Participation
national identity
shared practices and beliefs

12. democracy

14. Definition
It generally means rule by the people. In a democracy, people choose their
representatives in government and these representatives, in turn, are given the
authority to make decisions on behalf of citizens.
This would mean that government is answerable and accountable to the
people.

15. constitution

16. Retrieved from:
http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/aol/search/display/view.w3p;ident=aa74f082-6a82-4885-a5e4-6cfe5894da40;page=0;query=DocId%3A%22cf2412ff-fca5-4a64-a8ef-
b95b8987728e%22%20Status%3Ainforce%20Depth%3A0;rec=0#pr9-he-.
Functions of the Constitution of Singapore
1. Source of government’s power (executive,
judiciary, legislature)
1. Limits the government’s power (power
separation; setting limits)
1. Guards individuals’ basic rights
1. Protects minority rights

17. Exercising of
rights
RESPONSIBLY
Case: Amos Yee & Amy
Cheong

18. Think Pair Share:
What do you think are some of the things Amos Yee did
not consider when he made the comments on late
Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew and the Christian
community?

20. So what do you think are our responsibilities as citizens of
Singapore?

21. citizenship by shared
identity and participation

24. Table of Contents
● Citizenship - What is it? Why is it important?
● Attainment of Citizenship - How?
● Rights and Responsibilities of a citizen