Sunday, September 8, 2013

Monday, September 9. 2013

Today's schedule is A-AG-B-C-D

A Block Law 9/10 - Today we'll share your own theories of why crime happens (yes I'd like to have volunteers rather than voluntolds). We'll see if there are any similarities amongst the different theories we made and try to understand just what that may mean. After I'll ask you to create an interview where you are a famous Canadian criminologist being interviewed by George Stroumboulopoulos on his CBC television show. What you'll need to do is come up with some crazy, creepy or absurdly normal crime that gained huge notoriety in Canada (murder, treason, assault, embezzlement, kidnapping, criminal harassment - AKA stalking, drug trafficking, gang related activities or some minor crime perpetrated by a major Canadian celebrity - oh just imagine Justin Bieber being charged with what). After you create a crime story idea, you'll need to have five questions that George will ask you (no "what's your name" doesn't count as one). Try to come up with questions that you can reasonably answer within three to four sentences..."So what do you think motivated (person X) to commit (action Y)"?

What should this look like? A brief paragraph that introduces the crime and gives a brief biography of you is the start. Next write out the five questions George will ask you about the crime, the perpetrator, the kind of person who commits that crime, the motives of that person, an explanation of your personal crime theory and then try to answer them using your theory.


B Block  Social Studies 10 - Today we'll continue our look at latitude, longitude, and time zones.  You'll need to complete the following questions from the Geographic Understandings book (they're the green geography books in the class) on latitude & longitude, map grids, direction, and distance:

1. Page 3 and 4 questions 2, 3, 4, & 5a
2. Page 7 questions 1, 2, 3 and 4

Take a look at the following websites for help with time zones:
Time for Time
Time and Date
From Stargazers to Starships
NOVA: The Search for Longitude

Royal Astronomical Society Calgary: Latitude and Longitude
US National Atlas - Latitude and Longitude
 
C Block Criminology 12 - Today we'll look at the difference between deviance and criminal behaviour (acts that are criminal but not deviant and deviant but not criminal). What is deviant behaviour? A simple explanation of deviant behaviour could be any action that violates cultural norms (formal norms like laws - or informal norms like nose picking). This is a difficult concept because what an individual or sub culture in society defines as deviant is contextually situated (meaning what I think is deviant may be different for you; it is subjective - influenced by personal considerations).

Take smoking in public. You may think that this behaviour is acceptable because an individual has the choice to consume a cigarette and they are merely harming themselves...no problem right? You may, however, think this behaviour is unacceptable. Second-hand smoke is hurtful to others because they could be harmed by someone else's behaviour. So what is deviant in many cases is subjective. What is criminal is the codification of what a society as a whole deems as deviant. Homicide is criminal because as a society we believe that taking another life is unacceptable and deviates from the accepted cultural norm that we wish our country to be like.

So using the text and your brains you need to come up with a list of things that are deviant but not criminal and a list of things that are criminal but not deviant. After you'll need to take one act from either list and explain why it should be criminalized or why it should be decriminalized.

Don't forget you need to come up with your own theory of why crime happens and hand it in. You need to use the brainstormed list we did in class along with the notes you took today on the history of Criminology.

D Block Law 12 - OK since we didn't get to it on Friday, your assignment will be to look up the penalties for a law (in the Canadian Criminal Code) that you disagree with and explain why we should have stronger or lighter penalties for this law. Consider "Mischief"

C.C. 430. (1) Every one commits mischief who wilfully
(a) destroys or damages property;
(b) renders property dangerous, useless, inoperative or ineffective;
(c) obstructs, interrupts or interferes with the lawful use, enjoyment or operation of property; or
(d) obstructs, interrupts or interferes with any person in the lawful use, enjoyment or operation of property.

Punishment
(2) Every one who commits mischief that causes actual danger to life is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for life.

So if you are protesting the removal of old growth trees in a location and hammer spikes into trees then you are endangering the life of fallers (who would use chainsaws and chainsaws don't mix well with metal spikes)...that means you're eligible for life in prison much the same as if you tampered with someone's break lines in their car. Is that sentence too harsh or too light? Why? that's an example of what I'd like you to consider. You may use the pocket criminal codes in class or may use the computer to check the statutes on line.

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