China 八年级（初二） Morality and Rule of Law

1. Sem.1 U1 Entering social life

Rich social life; being a member of society · Growing up healthily in society; prosocial behaviour · Building a better online space

• Social Bonds: How People Are Tied Together – A social bond is a tie that links a person to others and gives support and belonging. We have bonds of family, of friendship, of work and of shared citizenship. Durkheim described two kinds of solidarity: mechanical (people are alike, as in a small village) and organic (people differ and depend on each other, as in a big town). Modern life brings individualisation (more freedom to choose ties) and digital ties (wide but often light). Ties break through job loss, poverty, discrimination, moving away or conflict. Shared values such as liberty, equality and fraternity, social protection and the fight against discrimination keep a society together.
• Growing Up Healthily in Society: Socialisation and Helping Others – Socialisation is the lifelong process of learning the language, rules and values of the people around us. Family comes first, then school and friends, then the wider community. As we grow, we also learn prosocial behaviour: caring for others and helping them. Helping makes both the helper and the community healthier and happier, and kindness spreads from person to person.
• Digital Footprints and Netiquette – A digital footprint is the trail of data we leave online. Active footprints are shared on purpose (posts, comments, forms); passive footprints are collected without us noticing (cookies, browsing history, location, IP address). Footprints are hard to erase and can be seen by others later. We live in a digital society where learning, banking, shopping and government services are online; a responsible user of it is a digital citizen (netizen). Net etiquette means being ethical (respect copyright, share reliable information), respectful (privacy, diversity, no bullying) and responsible (avoid oversharing, don't feed trolls). Communication etiquette asks us to be precise, polite and credible; social media etiquette asks us to choose passwords and privacy settings wisely, think before uploading, and verify before sharing.

2. Sem.1 U2 Maintaining social order

Social rules · Morality: courtesy, honesty, kindness · Legal literacy; acting according to law

• Rule of Law – The rule of law means everyone, including the government and its leaders, must follow the same known laws, which are applied equally by fair and independent courts. Its main principles are supremacy of law, equality before the law, clear and public laws, fair trials, protected rights and separation of powers. Laws are made and changed through an open process, can be reviewed by courts against a constitution or charter of rights, and countries also agree to international law through treaties.

3. Sem.1 U3 Taking social responsibility

Freedom and equality · Fairness and justice · Contributing to society

Coming soon

4. Sem.1 U4 Safeguarding national interests

National interests first · A strong military and national security · Holistic view of national security

Coming soon

5. Sem.2 U1 Upholding the Constitution

The Constitution: content and role · Upholding constitutional authority

• Constitution: Why and How? – A constitution is the basic rulebook of a country. It builds trust, says who holds power, limits that power, and states the people's hopes. India's Constitution was written by the Constituent Assembly from 1946 to 1949 through open debate, and it took good ideas from other constitutions, changing them to suit India.

6. Sem.2 U2 Rights and duties

Citizens' basic rights and duties · Exercising rights and fulfilling duties lawfully

• Citizens' Rights and Duties – A citizen is a full member of a country. Most constitutions give citizens rights: political and personal rights (vote, free speech, belief, fair trial, privacy) and social and economic rights (education, work, health care, social security). Citizens also have duties: obey the law, pay taxes, respect others' rights, protect the environment and defend the country. Rights and duties go together, and rights have fair limits so that one person's freedom does not harm another.

7. Sem.2 U3 State systems

Political systems (people's congresses, multi-party cooperation, regional ethnic autonomy, grassroots self-government) · Basic economic system

Coming soon

8. Sem.2 U4 State organs

Organs of state power · President of the PRC · Administrative organs · Central Military Commission · Supervisory organs · Judicial organs (courts, procuratorates)

Coming soon

9. Sem.2 U5 Building rule of law

Comprehensive rule of law · Rule of law and national governance

• Rule of Law – The rule of law means everyone, including the government and its leaders, must follow the same known laws, which are applied equally by fair and independent courts. Its main principles are supremacy of law, equality before the law, clear and public laws, fair trials, protected rights and separation of powers. Laws are made and changed through an open process, can be reviewed by courts against a constitution or charter of rights, and countries also agree to international law through treaties.