Alberta · Grade 12
Social Studies 30-1
- SST3771
Alberta’s Grade 12 social studies course, from Ideology & Its Foundations to Ideology, Citizenship & Contemporary Action.
- Units
- 4
- Lessons
- 9
- Skills
- 31
- Provincial exam
- 30% of the final mark
- Official curriculum
- Alberta Education
Unit by unit
Every skill in the course, with its official code.
Unit 1 · 8 skills
Ideology & Its Foundations
Beliefs, Values & the Nature of Ideology
Factors that shape beliefs and values
I can explore the factors that shape individual and collective beliefs and values.
Official code: 1.3
Expressions of individualism and collectivism
I can examine historic and contemporary expressions of individualism and collectivism.
Official code: 1.4
Characteristics of ideology
I can examine the characteristics that make a set of beliefs an ideology.
Official code: 1.5
Themes of ideologies
I can explore the recurring themes that run through ideologies.
Official code: 1.6
Individualism, Collectivism & the Common Good
Individualism as a foundation of ideology
I can analyze individualism as a foundation of ideology.
Official code: 1.7
Collectivism as a foundation of ideology
I can analyze collectivism as a foundation of ideology.
Official code: 1.8
Individualism and the common good
I can analyze the dynamic between individualism and the common good in societies today.
Official code: 1.9
Should identity be shaped by ideology?
I can evaluate the extent to which personal identity should be shaped by ideologies.
Official code: 1.10
The official wording · 8 outcomes
- 1.3
- explore factors that may influence individual and collective beliefs and values
- 1.4
- examine historic and contemporary expressions of individualism and collectivism
- 1.5
- examine the characteristics of ideology
- 1.6
- explore themes of ideologies
- 1.7
- analyze individualism as a foundation of ideology
- 1.8
- analyze collectivism as a foundation of ideology
- 1.9
- analyze the dynamic between individualism and common good in contemporary societies
- 1.10
- evaluate the extent to which personal identity should be shaped by ideologies
Key ideas
Beliefs and values are shaped by many factors: culture, language, media, relationship to land, environment, gender, religion, spirituality and ideology.
Individualism underpins liberalism through principles like individual rights and freedoms, self-interest, competition, economic freedom, rule of law and private property.
These factors work on the individual AND the collective — a whole community can share values shaped by the same forces.
These principles fit together into a coherent view: the free individual comes first, and society exists to protect that freedom.
Individualism prizes the individual — freedom, self-interest, private property; collectivism prizes the group — shared responsibility, cooperation, the common good.
Watch out for
- Thinking beliefs come from one source (e.g. "just family") — several factors act together.
- "Individualism is simply selfish" — it is a principled belief that the individual is the basic unit of value.
- Assuming values are chosen freely, ignoring how culture and media shape them from the start.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 2 · 10 skills
The Origins & Impact of Liberalism
Origins & Impacts of Classical Liberalism
Aboriginal contributions to liberalism
I can explore Aboriginal contributions to the development of liberalism.
Official code: 2.4
Origins of classical liberal thought
I can examine how classical liberal thought grew from the principles of liberalism.
Official code: 2.5
Impacts of classical liberal thought
I can analyze the impacts of classical liberal thought on 19th-century society.
Official code: 2.6
Responses to Classical Liberalism
Ideologies in response to classical liberalism
I can analyze the ideologies that developed in response to classical liberalism.
Official code: 2.7
The evolution of modern liberalism
I can analyze how modern liberalism evolved as a response to classical liberalism.
Official code: 2.8
Systems that rejected liberalism
I can evaluate ideological systems that rejected the principles of liberalism.
Official code: 2.9
Cold-War Conflict & Resistance to Liberalism
Ideological conflict after 1945
I can analyze how ideological conflict shaped international relations after the Second World War.
Official code: 2.10
Perspectives on imposing liberalism
I can analyze perspectives on the imposition of the principles of liberalism.
Official code: 2.11
Modern liberalism challenged by alternative thought
I can analyze the extent to which modern liberalism is challenged by alternative thought.
Official code: 2.12
Is resistance to liberalism justified?
I can evaluate the extent to which resistance to the principles of liberalism is justified.
Official code: 2.13
The official wording · 10 outcomes
- 2.4
- explore Aboriginal contributions to the development of liberalism
- 2.5
- examine the relationship between the principles of liberalism and the origins of classical liberal thought
- 2.6
- analyze the impacts of classical liberal thought on
- 2.7
- analyze ideologies that developed in response to classical liberalism
- 2.8
- analyze the evolution of modern liberalism as a response to classical liberalism
- 2.9
- evaluate ideological systems that rejected principles of liberalism
- 2.10
- analyze how ideological conflict shaped international relations after the Second World War
- 2.11
- analyze perspectives on the imposition of the principles of liberalism
- 2.12
- analyze the extent to which modern liberalism is challenged by alternative thought
- 2.13
- evaluate the extent to which resistance to the principles of liberalism is justified
Key ideas
Indigenous governance traditions — consensus decision making, individual autonomy within a collective, and respect for personal freedom — contributed ideas that fed into liberal thought.
The harms of classical liberalism provoked responses: classic conservatism (protect tradition and order), Marxism (overthrow the class system), socialism (share ownership more fairly), and welfare capitalism (soften the market with a safety net).
The Cold War pitted liberal capitalism against Soviet communism through strategies like expansionism, containment, deterrence, brinkmanship, détente, nonalignment and liberation movements.
The standard story of liberalism often omits these contributions; recovering them corrects a one-sided origin story.
Each response is a different answer to the same problem — the inequality and instability of the unregulated market.
Watch out for
- Assuming liberalism is purely a European invention — Indigenous ideas contributed too.
- Lumping all responses together as "anti-liberal" — they range from reform to total rejection.
- Single-cause thinking — the Cold War had ideological, economic and strategic causes together.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 3 · 6 skills
Liberalism in Practice: Systems, Rights & Viability
Economic Equality & Political-Economic Systems
Should governments encourage economic equality?
I can explore the extent to which governments should encourage economic equality.
Official code: 3.4
Do systems reflect liberal principles?
I can analyze the extent to which political and economic systems reflect the principles of liberalism.
Official code: 3.5
Illiberal thought in liberal democracies
I can analyze the extent to which liberal democracies reflect illiberal thought and practice.
Official code: 3.6
Rights, Governments & the Viability of Liberalism
Why governments may not reflect liberalism
I can analyze why the practices of governments may not reflect the principles of liberalism.
Official code: 3.7
Promoting individual and collective rights
I can evaluate the extent to which governments should promote individual and collective rights.
Official code: 3.8
Is liberalism viable today?
I can evaluate whether the principles of liberalism are viable in the context of contemporary issues.
Official code: 3.9
The official wording · 6 outcomes
- 3.4
- explore the extent to which governments should encourage economic equality
- 3.5
- analyze the extent to which the practices of political and economic systems reflect principles of liberalism
- 3.6
- analyze the extent to which liberal democracies reflect illiberal thought and practice
- 3.7
- analyze why the practices of governments may not reflect principles of liberalism
- 3.8
- evaluate the extent to which governments should promote individual and collective rights
- 3.9
- evaluate the extent to which the principles of liberalism are viable in the context of contemporary issues
Key ideas
Governments face a spectrum: leave the market alone (individualist) or redistribute to reduce the gap between rich and poor (collectivist).
Governments drift from liberal principles under pressure: security threats, economic crisis, majority opinion and the pull of power all push them toward illiberal action.
The debate is about degree — progressive taxes, minimum wage and social programs are all points on the line, each with trade-offs.
Understanding WHY the gap opens is different from just noticing that it does.
Political systems range from consensus and direct/representative democracies to authoritarian systems; economic systems range from traditional to free-market to command to mixed.
Watch out for
- Assuming economic equality is always good or always harmful — it is a trade-off between fairness and incentive.
- Assuming governments break with liberalism only out of bad faith — often it is competing pressures.
- Confusing equality of outcome with equality of opportunity.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 4 · 7 skills
Ideology, Citizenship & Contemporary Action
Worldviews, Ideology & Citizenship
Worldviews and ideology
I can explore the relationship between personal and collective worldviews and ideology.
Official code: 4.4
How ideologies shape citizenship
I can explore how ideologies shape individual and collective citizenship.
Official code: 4.5
The individual in a democratic society
I can analyze perspectives on the rights, roles and responsibilities of the individual in a democratic society.
Official code: 4.6
Citizenship in Conflict & Responsible Action
The individual in times of conflict
I can analyze perspectives on the rights, roles and responsibilities of the individual during times of conflict.
Official code: 4.7
Should ideology shape our responses?
I can evaluate the extent to which ideology should shape responses to contemporary issues.
Official code: 4.8
Strategies for individual and collective leadership
I can develop strategies to address issues that demonstrate individual and collective leadership.
Official code: 4.9
Active and responsible citizenship
I can explore opportunities to demonstrate active and responsible citizenship.
Official code: 4.10
The official wording · 7 outcomes
- 4.4
- explore the relationship between personal and collective worldviews and ideology
- 4.5
- explore how ideologies shape individual and collective citizenship
- 4.6
- analyze perspectives on the rights, roles and responsibilities of the individual in a democratic society
- 4.7
- analyze perspectives on the rights, roles and responsibilities of the individual during times of conflict
- 4.8
- evaluate the extent to which ideology should shape responses to contemporary issues
- 4.9
- develop strategies to address local, national and global issues that demonstrate individual and collective leadership
- 4.10
- explore opportunities to demonstrate active and responsible citizenship through individual and collective action
Key ideas
A worldview is the lens through which a person or community sees reality; ideology is a connected system of beliefs built on that lens.
In times of conflict the citizen's duties are tested: humanitarian crises, civil rights movements, antiwar movements, McCarthyism, pro-democracy movements and contemporary examples all pose the question of when to obey and when to resist.
Personal and collective worldviews feed each other — a shared worldview can harden into a collective ideology.
Analyzing perspectives means fairly weighing the state's claim to loyalty against the individual's conscience.
Each ideology defines the "good citizen" differently — liberalism prizes the active rights-bearing individual, collectivism prizes contribution to the group.
Watch out for
- Confusing a worldview (a lens) with an ideology (a connected system of beliefs).
- Assuming loyalty to the state always outweighs individual conscience during conflict.
- Assuming everyone in a group shares one worldview — collective worldviews are negotiated.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Plan the term
Pick your term and the days you study. Each unit gets its share of the weeks and comes back a week later for a review. The last two weeks go over the whole course.
The mark you need
Your class mark counts for 70% of the final mark, the exam for 30%.
You need
59% on the exam
With 75% in class, your final mark lands between 52.5% (0 on the exam) and 82.5% (100% on it).
Which course?
Alberta has 2 social studies courses for Grade 12. Here they are side by side.
- Social Studies 30-1This courseSST37714 units · 31 skillsSocial Studies 30–1 Diploma ExamWhat it coversIdeology & Its Foundations · The Origins & Impact of Liberalism · Liberalism in Practice: Systems, Rights & Viability · Ideology, Citizenship & Contemporary Action
- Social Studies 30-2SST37724 units · 30 skillsSocial Studies 30–2 Diploma ExamWhat it coversIdeology, Beliefs & Identity · The Origins of & Resistance to Liberalism · The Viability of Liberalism’s Principles · Citizenship in the Modern World
What a university, college or program asks for is theirs to say: check its admission page, and your school’s course guide.
The official curriculum
This page follows Alberta’s own curriculum for Social Studies 30-1.
Study it in MapleMind
MapleMind teaches Social Studies 30-1 one skill at a time. Each skill gets a short lesson, practice as you go and a check worth up to three stars. It remembers where you stopped.
Course Companion
Your year in one workbook
A fun way to keep Social Studies 30-1 organized, get to know your child better and see early when they need a hand. Fill it in on a screen, or print it.
- Pages
- 30
- Fillable fields
- 1,426
- Price
- $4.99
Questions about Social Studies 30-1
What is Social Studies 30-1?
Alberta’s Grade 12 social studies course: 4 units and 31 skills, from Ideology & Its Foundations to Ideology, Citizenship & Contemporary Action.
What units are in Social Studies 30-1?
1. Ideology & Its Foundations, 2. The Origins & Impact of Liberalism, 3. Liberalism in Practice: Systems, Rights & Viability and 4. Ideology, Citizenship & Contemporary Action.
Is there a provincial exam for Social Studies 30-1?
Yes. The Social Studies 30–1 Diploma Exam counts for 30% of the final mark. Next sitting: January 19, 2027.
Can MapleMind help with Social Studies 30-1?
Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of Social Studies 30-1, step by step, with practice and checks, and its tutor answers questions about any of them. It’s free with daily limits, on iPhone, Android and the web.
Get ready for Social Studies 30-1
Practise every skill of Social Studies 30-1 in MapleMind, free with daily limits.
