사회과 교육과정에서 ‘국가기관’의 내용 체계에 대한 비판적 고찰: 2015 개정과 2022 개정 교육과정을 중심으로

The purpose of this article is to identify the problems arising from the coexistence of ‘state institutions’ in which social studies curriculum is a content element in political and law-related education and to propose improvement measures. To achieve this purpose, the principle of separation of powers and the principle of organizing the content of the curriculum were first examined as basic principles in which state institutions act. Based on these theoretical discussions, the analysis criteria were derived and the content selection and organization of ‘state institutions’ presented in the content system of the 2015 and 2022 revised curriculum were analyzed. The analysis shows that “the generalized knowledge” category repeatedly specifies content related to “state institutions” through the constitution, thereby limiting the selection and organization of “state institutions” as content elements in political and law-related education. As an improvement measure, first, the legislature and the executive branch should be selected as content elements in the political domain, and the judiciary should be selected as content elements in the legal domain to constitute the content system of state institutions. Second, as a way to scope, sequence, and integration in the content system of state institutions, it was proposed that state institutions be formed around the classical theory of separation of power at the elementary school level, and state institutions be formed around the modern theory of separation of power at the middle school level.