Wednesday, June 15. 2016

We have our year end assembly today so our schedule looks like this
​
8:58 - 10:00  B Block
10:05 - 10:15  A.G.
10:20 - 11:20 A Block 
11:20 - 12:25 Assembly
12:25 - 1:05  Lunch
1:10 - 2:10 D Block
2:15 -  3:15  C Block

B & D Blocks Social Studies 10 - Today we are in the library for our second to last day of research/work on your family history assignment. Remember, your task is to research your family history, which includes learning how to conduct academic research, making critical evaluations regarding sources, and managing information. Please remember that I want you to use the primary documents and stories you find to uncover what daily life might have been like for your relatives.

A Block Criminology 12 - Today we'll continue with our look at social order crimes. Immoral acts are distinguished from crimes on the basis of the social harm they cause. Acts that are believed to be extremely harmful to the general public are usually outlawed, whereas acts that only the harm the actor themselves are more likely to be tolerated. Acts that are illegal because they are viewed as a threat to morality are called public order crimes. I'll remind you that we already looked at the difference between what is deviant and what is criminal and this topic covers crimes that straddle the line between the two. People who lobby hard for their morals to become law are called moral entrepreneurs or crusaders. The power of moral entrepreneurs can be quite strong and we'll see that today.

Think about Mother's Against Drunk Driving (MADD). From Craig Reinarman's article Social Construction of an Alcohol Problem:

The credibility of MADD, especially at its outset, was impeccable. The parents of children who have been killed in drunk-driving accidents are exceptionally strong symbols. There are few groups of victims who can inspire as much sympathy and adherence as the grieving mother. And this is one of the central foundations of MADD's success. The organisation was started in August of 1980 in Sacramento, California by a woman named Candy Lightner whose daughter had been killed by a hit-and-run drunk driver with multiple DUI (driving under the influence) convictions some 4 months prior. During the criminal proceedings Lightner was appalled by the apparent leniency and lack of concern demonstrated by the justice system towards drunk drivers and the rights of the victim. The campaign began with her tireless lobbying in the initial months and a strong push to make drunk driving a political issue where it had previously not been. 

Consider the following: Sir Patrick Devlin stated…

Without shared ideas on politics, morals, and ethics no society can exist…. If men and women try to create a society in which there is no fundamental agreement about good and evil, they will fail; if having based it on common agreement, the argument goes, the society will disintegrate. For society is not something that is kept together physically; it is held by the invisible bonds of common thought. If the bonds were too far relaxed, the members would drift apart. A common morality is part of the bondage. The bondage is part of the price of society; and mankind, which needs society, must pay its price. 

As you can see, the power of moral entrepreneurs can be quite strong. After we discuss moral entrepreneurs (crusaders) and then I'll add two questions to yesterday's work:

1. Should drugs be legalized? Why? If you believe drugs should be legalized, think about whether all drugs should be legalized or just a select few. Why should certain drugs be legalized and others not? 
2. Should prostitution be legalized? Why? If you believe it should be legalized, should all the forms of prostitution described in your text be legalized, or only a select few? If prostitution were legalized should government be able to exercise some control over it? 
3. Does pornography lead to violence? Why? Is it harmful? Why Consider all forms of pornography (what is currently legal and illegal) when you answer this question.

So yesterday I briefly gave you a question that should have been hard to answer, a question about shared morals and the law. Should we legalize prostitution? Think about the two opposing views:

1. Sexual Equality View The prostitute is a victim of male dominance. In patriarchal societies, male power is predicated on female subjugation, and prostitution is a clear example of this gender exploitation 
2. Free Choice View Prostitution, if freely chosen, expresses woman’s equality and is not a symptom of subjugation.

C Block Law 12 - I have the library booked today for you to continue working on your civil law major term project. After today there are only 2 classes left until the final exam and 1 class left in the library to work on your major civil law term project. No pressure...really.