C Block Crime, Media and Society 12 - Today we'll examine the role that socioeconomic structures within a society affect criminality. Specifically, we'll examine the Social Structure view of criminology that examines the impact of poverty on an individual’s chance of committing crimes. There are three major branches of social structure theories that include social disorganization theory, strain theory, and cultural deviance theory and we'll look at the connection between social disorganization, strain and deviance. A great TV show to look at that would help in order to understand this is the Wire that ran on HBO from 2002-2008. In the show institutional dysfunction and the decay of social structures cause urban Baltimore to become "gritty" and crime is one result.
From IMDb...
Set in Baltimore, this show centers around the city's inner-city drug scene. It starts as mid-level drug dealer, D'Angelo Barksdale beats a murder rap. After a conversation with a judge, Det. James McNulty has been assigned to lead a joint homicide and narcotics team, in order to bring down drug kingpin Avon Barksdale. Avon Barksdale, accompanied by his right-hand man Stringer Bell, enforcer Wee-Bey and many lieutenants (including his own nephew, D'Angelo Barksdale), has to deal with law enforcement, informants in his own camp, and competition with a local rival, Omar, who's been robbing Barksdale's dealers and reselling the drugs. The supervisor of the investigation, Lt. Cedric Daniels, has to deal with his own problems, such as a corrupt bureaucracy, some of his detectives beating suspects, hard-headed but determined Det. McNulty, and a blackmailing deputy. The show depicts the lives of every part of the drug "food chain", from junkies to dealers, and from cops to politicians
Alas district rules preclude me from showing you this (you really should watch it) so we'll instead focus on the Bloods and Crips in South Central LA.
Scott Kody joined the Crips in South Central Los Angeles in 1975 when he was in grade 6. He was released from Folsom Prison on parole in 1988, at the age of 24. Kody was one of the most ruthless gang leaders in Los Angeles and the California prison system but in 1985 he decided to reform. He adopted the name of Sanyika Shakur, became a black nationalist, and began a crusade against gangs. In Kody’s heyday, about 30,000 gang members roamed Los Angeles County. Today there are more than 150,000. It is estimated that in 2002 there were 21,500 youth gangs in the United States with 731,500 members. So social disorganization and strain can combine to develop a culturally deviant subculture that can grow exponentially in size.
At the end of the video I have a big question for you...and the question I'll have you work on for me is: Have you ever perceived anomie if so what and why? What causes anomie? Is there more than one cause of strain?
D Block Geography 12 - Today, we are in the library for day two of research for our severe weather poster project. Remember that there are these things in the library called "books"; you may remember what they look like...there are paper pages with pictures and information on them bound together. Sarcasm aside please remember that you will need to have at least one print (book or magazine) source for your presentation. I have books in my room on severe weather that you might want to look at. The purpose of this project is to learn about severe weather and your topic in depth. Please do not plagiarize work and present it as if it were your own. Show me what you have learned. Tomorrow is our last day this week to work on this during class time so don't get lost on youtube watching videos of people getting struck by lightning or hit by hail (no matter how cool that is!) Having said that the Discovery Channel has a great series called Raging Planet (we've watched it in class) with some cool video footage that you could embed in your power point presentation here: Discovery Channel Raging Planet Friday's blog entry has all of the particular details on the project along with links for you to use. Use your time wisely and good luck.
A Block Social Studies 10 - Today we'll begin looking at the Northwest Rebellion of 1885 and the implications of the railway and the results for Macdonald, Riel and the Metis. We'll examine the "Metis Bill of Rights" along with the skirmishes north of Saskatoon (Duck Lake, Fish Creek and Batoche). Lastly we'll look at the trial of Louis Riel and I'll have you work on questions 2, 4, and 5 on page 189 as well as the Apply It question 1 from the "Developing Historical Perspective" skill builder on pages 192-3 of the Horizons text.
For more on the Northwest Rebellion and Louis Riel look at:
For more on the Northwest Rebellion and Louis Riel look at:
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