Nestled away, in the back corner of G.P. Vanier, you'll find room 115 (we used to be 611). Lurking in the shadows of this room is Mr. Young...waiting to pounce on unsuspecting students and natter on about volcanoes, hail, psychopathy, criminal law defenses, cultural diffusion, media theories, crime, and urban models of city development. He loves his job in 115 and can't wait to work with you this year.
Heeeeeeyyyy...welcome to the 2021-2022 school year!
Today looks like this:
9:05-10:35 - Homeroom (We're #36 in room 115)
9:40-10:40 - B Block
10:45-11:50 - A Block
11:50-12:35 - Lunch
12:40 - 1:55 D Block
2:00-3:15 - C Block
B Block Physical Geography - Welcome to Geography, the most important class you'll ever take in your life...no, really! So, what is Geography and why is it the most important class you'll take? The summer of 2021 is a great example...here in Canada our summer saw a deadly heatwave, wildfires, flooding and extreme drought. Canada's all-time temperature record was broken, several times over, in the village of Lytton, B.C., before it burned to the ground. It's clear — there is nothing normal about this summer. Dr David Phillips (former senior climatologist at Environment Canada) once said of weather and climate..."the new normal is that there is no normal". Meteorologist Brett Soderholm (forecaster for the B.C. Wildfire Service in Prince George) said, "Normal is going to be an increasingly difficult concept for us to wrap our heads around. Looking ahead to the future, I think we're just going to be able to use normal as a reference point for how extreme we are from one side to the next."
We use geographic thinking to make sense of these issues. Geography is not a liner subject nor is it a linear mindset. Geography is inherently holistic or spatial in nature. Geographic thinking is akin to spatial complexity. From THE NEW FACTS OF LIFE, by Fritjof Capra, Systems thinking includes a shift of emphasis from structure to process...
Understanding life requires a shift of focus from objects to relationships. Understanding relationships is not easy for us, because it is something that goes counter to the traditional scientific enterprise in Western culture. In science, we have been told, things need to be measured and weighed. But relationships cannot be measured and weighed; relationships need to be mapped. So there is another shift: from measuring to mapping. Now, when you map relationships, you will find certain configurations that occur repeatedly. This is what we call a pattern. Networks, cycles, feedback loops, are examples of patterns of organization that are characteristic of life. Systems’ thinking involves a shift of perspective from contents to patterns. I also want to emphasize that mapping relationships and studying patterns is not a quantitative but a qualitative approach. Systems’ thinking implies a shift from quantity to quality. A pattern is not a list of numbers but a visual image.
Today we will go through the course outline package and see what topics and skills we have in store for the semester. In this course we look at the physical world, examining the planet we live on and how we humans have the power to permanently affect the sphere that we call home. You will also find out pretty quickly that I am absolutely a geography nerd just like Alizé Carrère in Crash Course above. Today we'll work on learning to observe as a geographer would. Why would we want to be observant and think like a geographer?
Observing as a Geographer means we'll look beyond simple observations and try to see a larger picture with connections to the wider world (think of the following three big concepts: Interactions, Interconnections, and Implications and the questions "what", "where", "why there" and "why care"). We'll practice an analysis of two photos in class and one in your week 1 handout and below. With a partner and using the Observing as a Geographer Would questions (in your week 1 package that you'll get today...maybe) to help with your analysis along with the acronym “OSAE”
O - Observe. What do you see? What's going on? Work from obvious to complex. Be precise!
S - Speculate. Why is something there or not there? Write open ended Qs and make sense of your observations.
A - Analyse. How come? What is the real reason why it's here or not here? Find answers to your questions.
E - Evaluate. In what ways could this landscape change? Consider social values here. Justify your opinions.
What do you see?...
A Block Criminology - Today we will go through the course outline package and see what crimes we have in store for the semester. In this course we look at crime theories and crime typology. The first week and a half sees us look at a general history of crime, big ideas about why people commit crime and thoughts on why people become victims of crime. The rest of the first term then focuses on crime typologies: violent crimes; property crimes; white collar / enterprise / business crimes; organized / gang crimes; and crimes of a social nature (gambling, drug use, sex trade). Starting next week, we spend the first part of Monday in the library / learning commons working on an on-line crime blog while each Thursday or Friday we'll watch an online video about our topic for the week. Sometimes it will be an episode of a crime television program (but there's always a question about what you watch). Today, I'm hoping you'll let me know what you want to focus on this semester in Criminology. Then we'll start with one question that I'd like you to brainstorm:
Why do people commit crime?
After some time, I'd like you to partner up and get your ideas on a large sheet of paper (try to keep a safe social distance and if not, then you'll need to mask up). After you collect all of your ideas on large sheets of paper with smelly felts, I'd like you to cluster (group) your reasons why people commit crime into categories (emotions, poverty, culture, etc...) and see what biological factors and sociological factors may contribute to crime. We'll then share your ideas together as a class and see if there are any common ideas that we may have and we'll try to see where your clusters fit in terms of Choice, Trait, Social Structure, Social Learning, and Conflict theories.
C/D Blocks Social and Environmental Sciences - Today we will go through the course outline package and see what local and global environmental issues you are passionate about and interested in. After, Benton and I will take you down to the Tsolum River through the Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds. When we get to the gravel bar at the river we'll sit in a circle and begin our first "Talking Circle".
We are going to ask you to share your earliest memories of being outside, playing in nature.
The circle itself is considered sacred. First Nations people observed that the circle is a dominant symbol in nature and has come to represent wholeness, completion, and the cycles of life (including the cycle of human communication). So, Leo will start, then Young and next Benton in a clockwise manner. Since we are in a COVID world we will not have an object of power to share around the circle. The main point of using the sacred object, is that whoever is holding the object in their hand has the right to speak. Instead of an object of power we will pick up a stone and then speak. When you are finished with what you wish to share, instead of passing the object to the next person, simply place your stone back down. A few things:
1. It is respectful to introduce yourself.
2. It is important that the circle of people listens respectfully to the person speaking.
3. You should 'speak from the heart'.
4. Shared communications should be kept in confidence.
When everyone has their turn to speak, when all voices are heard in a respectful and attentive way, the learning atmosphere becomes a rich source of information, identity, and interaction. Next we'll go around the circle again this timer consider "Your Relationship to Place and the Natural World"
People interact with the natural world around them in individual and collective ways. Please tell us what the natural world means to you, and how you interact with the geographical place where you live.
So instead of your memories of childhood we're talking about now.
Our last turn around the circle asks you to consider the following: What is your belief on environmental issues? What do you believe in and why? What influences your view on the environment?
Tomorrow, we are going to look at worldviews and ecological value systems as well as considering Indigenous and Western Approaches to Environmental Science. To end the class today we'll look at the traits and skills that we are going to ask you to develop throughout the course which include (but are not limited to) scientific and systems thinking, being an inquirer, an explorer, a thinker and a communicator, along with being an open-minded, principled, reflective risk taker who has a balanced perspective and demonstrates authentic empathy. Should be fun!
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