CSPE Fact Sheet - egs.ie

1 CSPE fact Sheet Note: What follows below is a list of questions, largely based around the past Junior Cert papers. That s why certain sections of the course get a great deal more coverage than others they suit exam questions better. It is NOT a complete list of every topic on the CSPE course, and please don t think that just because you know everything listed here that you re guaranteed to know every question that comes up. Keep watching the news, and keep aware of events in the various areas on the course. The Seven Key Concepts CSPE is based on seven concepts.

2 These are? Rights & Responsibilities Every human being is entitled to basic rights, but we also have a responsibility to others, and there is a constant need to safeguard peoples rights. Topics: Children s rights, prisoners of conscience, torture Human Dignity Every human being has the right to live their lives with dignity and to be treated with respect. Topics: Homelessness, bullying, refugees Stewardship Caring responsibly for our environment and the planet on which we live Topics: Recycling, global warming, the ozone layer Development Improvements taking place in local, national or international communities Topics: Tackling poverty in Africa, Third World Debt problems, regional development in Ireland Democracy Citizens voting to elect people to represent them in government Topics.

3 Elections, Dail Eireann, Local Government Law The rules and laws necessary to protect citizens. How laws are made, upheld, and the consequences of breaking the law. Topics: An Garda Siochana, the courts system, the prison system Interdependence The way in which we are connected with others in the world Topics: The European Union, the United Nations, Fair Trade Rights & Responsibilities stands for? Universal Declaration of Human Rights What does Asylum mean? The right to a safe place to live What does Freedom of Assembly mean?

4 The right to meet up International stands for? European Union NEXT ELECTIONS ARE MAY 2014 There are 28 countries in the European Union: Croatia is the newest member. Within the European Union there are three law-making groups. There are? The European Parliament The European Commission The Council of Ministers THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: The European Parliament meets in which two cities? Brussels and Strasbourg stands for? Member of the European Parliament How many Irish MEPs are there? There are currently 12.

5 From 2014 it will be reduced to 11 to facilitate Croatia entering EU. There are 754 MEPs elected to the? European Parliament Name 2 Irish MEPs? Mairead McGuinness, Liam Aylward, Brian Crowley Who is the President of the European Parliament? Martin Schulz, Germany THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION: How are members of the European Commission chosen? There are 28 members of the European Commission one from each country. Each member is appointed by the govt of their own country. Who is the President of the European Commission?

6 Jose Manuel Barroso, Portugal Who is the Irish European Commissioner? Maire Geoghegan Quinn We celebrate being members of the EU on the 9th May every year. This is known as? Europe Day Why do we celebrate Europe Day on the 9th May every year? To celebrate that Ireland is a member of the EU In the EU, where are legal cases about human rights heard? The European Court of Human Rights stands for? The European Court of Human Rights stands for? The International Monetary Fund Why was the IMF in Ireland last year?

7 To lend money to ( bail out ) the Government which didn t have enough funds to run the country The stands for? United Nations The Secretary General of the United Nations is? Ban Ki-Moon Where are the United Nations Headquarters? New York How can the Irish Army become involved in international conflicts? Through United Nations Peacekeeping operations The US President is? Barack Obama Where does the US President live? The White House, Washington DC Where does the Queen of England live? Buckingham Palace Who is the British Prime Minister?

8 David Cameron (Conservative Party) Where does the British Prime Minister live? 10 Downing Street Which country joined the Euro in 2013? Croatia How many countries are in the European Union? 28 How many countries are in the Euro? 22 28 Members of the European Union 18 Members of the Euro Austria Austria Belgium Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Estonia Finland Finland France France Germany Germany Greece Greece Hungary Ireland Ireland Italy Italy Latvia Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Luxembourg Malta Malta Netherlands Netherlands Poland Portugal Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovakia Slovenia Slovenia Spain Spain

9 Sweden United Kingdom Law The chief law officer of the Irish State is known as? The Attorney General The Childrens Court deals with? Offences committed by young people under the age of 16 The District Court deals with? Civil and criminal cases at a local level. There are 23 such courts around the country The Circuit Court deals with? More serious civil and criminal matters. There are 8 of such courts around the country The Special Criminal Court deals with? Very serious criminal offences. There is no jury in this court The Court of Criminal Appeal deals with?

10 Appeals from convicted persons who believe they haven t received justice when their case was tried in a lower court The High Court deals with? Appeals from lower courts and some Constitutional cases The Supreme Court deals with? Cases about the Constitution and appeals from the High Court The highest court in Ireland is known as the? Supreme Court The second highest court in Ireland is known as the? High Court The lowest court in Ireland is known as the? District Court Criminal law involves? Serious breaches of the law, such as assault, robbery, rape and murder Civil law involves?