MATSEC IM Systems of Knowledge cheat sheet

Malta became a republic on 13 December 1974; the Constitution of Malta was extensively amended then and again in 1987.

Separation of powers: the legislature (House of Representatives), the executive (President acting on Cabinet advice) and the judiciary (courts) are constitutionally distinct.

The President is the head of state, elected by the House of Representatives by resolution supported by at least two-thirds of all members.

Parliament is unicameral: 65 members elected in 13 general election districts (5 seats each) by single transferable vote; the Constitution adds corrective seats to reflect the party majority.

Constitutional amendments generally require a two-thirds majority of all members of the House; certain entrenched provisions (e.g. human rights, the Constitutional Court) require a referendum or a special procedure.

Fundamental rights and freedoms are entrenched in Chapter IV of the Constitution and are enforceable by the courts; the Constitutional Court hears alleged breaches.

The rule of law means that public power is exercised only under law, that laws are public and prospective, and that independent courts review executive action.

Democratic values include free and fair elections, majority rule with minority protection, accountability, transparency, tolerance of dissent, and peaceful transfer of power.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) sets out civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights; it is not itself a binding treaty.

The European Convention on Human Rights (1950) is binding on Malta; individuals may petition the European Court of Human Rights after exhausting domestic remedies.

Equality before the law is guaranteed in the Constitution; discrimination on grounds including sex, race, religion, political opinion and disability is prohibited.

The Equality Act (Malta) and the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality deal with discrimination in employment, goods and services, and education.

Civil and political rights (speech, assembly, fair trial) are generally immediately enforceable; economic, social and cultural rights are often subject to progressive realisation.

Negative and positive obligations: states must refrain from violating rights and must take steps (legislation, resources) to protect them.

Social justice concerns fair distribution of resources, equal opportunity, and protection of vulnerable groups; it is distinct from formal legal equality.

Rights may be limited only by law and only where necessary in a democratic society for a legitimate aim, and the limitation must be proportionate.

Aesthetics examines beauty, taste, and the experience of art; key concepts include the sublime, the picturesque, and the expressive.

Formal analysis describes elements such as line, shape, colour, texture, space, and composition before interpreting meaning.

Representational art depicts recognisable subject matter; abstract art departs from it; non-representational art has no subject outside itself.

Artistic media differ in constraints: fresco must be applied to wet plaster, oil allows glazing, printmaking implies multiples, photography captures light directly.

Context matters: patron, period, function (devotional, commemorative, propaganda) and audience shape interpretation.

Maltese artistic heritage includes prehistoric temple art, Roman and Byzantine remains, Baroque church interiors, and works by Mattia Preti in Valletta.

Maltese limestone (globigerina and coralline) constrains and shapes local architecture and sculpture; its softness encourages carving and erosion.

Critical evaluation of art uses evidence from the work itself, comparison, and knowledge of context rather than mere personal preference.

Scientific method: observation, hypothesis, prediction, controlled experiment, analysis, and revision; hypotheses must be falsifiable.

Independent variable is manipulated; dependent variable is measured; controlled variables are kept constant to isolate cause.

Correlation does not establish causation; confounding variables and selection bias can produce spurious associations.

A scientific theory is a well-tested explanatory framework, not a guess; laws describe regularities, theories explain them.

Peer review and replication are quality controls; a single study is weak evidence compared with systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Technology shapes society (communication, work, medicine) and society shapes technology through funding, regulation, and values.

Ethical issues in technology include privacy, data protection (GDPR), algorithmic bias, automation and employment, and dual-use research.

Risk assessment combines probability and severity; risk communication must distinguish hazard from risk and absolute from relative risk.

Sustainable development meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs (Brundtland definition).

It rests on three pillars: environmental, social, and economic; policies should integrate all three.

The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (2015, Agenda 2030) are global targets covering poverty, health, education, energy, climate and ecosystems.

The Paris Agreement (2015) aims to hold global warming well below 2°C and pursue 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Key environmental concepts: carrying capacity, biodiversity, ecosystem services, renewable versus non-renewable resources, and the precautionary principle.

Malta's environmental pressures include water scarcity, waste generation, land use and construction pressure, traffic emissions, and marine pollution.

The polluter-pays principle and environmental impact assessment are standard tools for regulating environmental harm.

Mitigation reduces causes (emissions cuts, renewables); adaptation reduces vulnerability (coastal defences, water management); they are complementary.

Maltese is a Semitic language written in the Latin alphabet; it is the national language and, with English, an official language.

Maltese identity has been shaped by Phoenician, Roman, Arab, Norman, Aragonese, Knights of St John, French and British periods.

Intercultural understanding means recognising cultural difference without ranking cultures, and distinguishing understanding from uncritical acceptance.

Stereotypes are generalised beliefs about groups; prejudice is an attitude; discrimination is behaviour; the three are related but not identical.

Ethnocentrism judges other cultures by one's own standards; cultural relativism holds that practices must be understood in their own context.

Migration to Malta has increased cultural diversity; integration involves language, employment, and mutual adaptation rather than one-sided assimilation.

Heritage includes tangible elements (temples, fortifications) and intangible elements (festa, għana, language, cuisine).

UNESCO recognition of Valletta (1980) and the Megalithic Temples illustrates how heritage claims link local identity to global frameworks.

An argument is a set of premises offered in support of a conclusion; it is not merely an assertion or a quarrel.

Deductive validity: if the premises are true, the conclusion must be true; soundness requires validity plus true premises.

Inductive strength is a matter of degree; even strong induction can yield a false conclusion with true premises.

Common fallacies: ad hominem, straw man, false dilemma, slippery slope, appeal to authority, appeal to popularity, circular reasoning, post hoc.

Necessary condition must hold for the outcome; sufficient condition guarantees it; confusing the two is a frequent error.

Correlation, anecdote, and emotion are not substitutes for evidence; sample size, representativeness and source credibility matter.

Counterargument and rebuttal strengthen reasoning; a claim that cannot be tested or falsified is hard to assess.

Ambiguity and equivocation occur when a word shifts meaning within an argument; define key terms explicitly.

Research question should be focused, answerable, and feasible; it guides method, sources and scope.

Primary sources are original documents or data; secondary sources interpret them; tertiary sources summarise.

Plagiarism is presenting another's words, ideas or data as one's own without attribution; paraphrasing still requires citation.

Citation styles (APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago) differ in format; consistency within a piece matters more than which style is chosen.

Sampling methods: random, stratified, systematic, convenience; convenience samples limit generalisability.

Qualitative methods (interviews, observation) explore meaning; quantitative methods (surveys, experiments) measure variables; mixed methods combine both.

A presentation needs a clear structure: introduction stating the aim, body with evidence, conclusion with the takeaway; visual aids support rather than replace speech.

Reliability concerns consistency of measurement; validity concerns whether the instrument measures what it claims to measure.