Civics and Citizenship

Our resources and programs for teachers and students are framed around capability building, not just content delivery. We want all young people to be visually and media literate, have the ability to analyse and inquire, deconstruct, think critically, evaluate and have empathy for others. 

We have compiled a selection of resources about artists and works of art in our collection that provide starting points for teachers to introduce civics and citizenship concepts to students.

Governance is a vital part of civics and citizenship education, and probably the first thing you and your students think of when hearing this topic. However, it is more than governance. Civics and citizenship education is about understanding broader values such as respect, civility, equity, justice, responsibility, diversity and identity in contemporary society. This cross-curriculum priority is also about learning how individuals and groups (including artists) can influence civic life and developing skills, values and dispositions that enable students to become active and informed citizens.

The Australian Curriculum acknowledges the experiences and contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and their identities within contemporary Australia. While the curriculum strongly focuses on the Australian context, students also reflect on Australia’s position and international obligations and the role of citizens today, both within Australian and in an interconnected world.

In creating this suite of resources, we have used the ‘Civics and Citizenship Concept Wheel’ created by Malcolm McInerney (Lecturer/ HaSS Curriculum Advisor at University of South Australia, 2020), as a way of connecting civics and citizenship concepts to works of art.

The individual artist resources you will discover below provide contextual information about each artist, their works of art and provocations for making and responding activities in the classroom that make links to the Australian Curriculum and the Civics and Citizenship Concept Wheel.

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We encourage you to engage with the Education Team at Parliament of South Australia for programs, tours and resources on understanding Australia’s system of government. This includes how people choose their governments, how the system safeguards democracy and how laws and the legal system protect people’s rights.