B Block Legal Studies - I'll have you complete on your own (rather than in partners) questions 1-5 on page 40 of the All About Law text. When you're finished I want you to hold on to them, because I have more for you to work on. Next you'll be back in partners to discuss the Multani v. Commission scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys (2006) case on pages 41-42 of the All About Law text. We'll share out together as a class
In November 2001, Gurbaj Multani’s kirpan accidentally fell out from under his clothing, raising questions among the school community about school safety and whether or not he should be permitted to continue to bring the kirpan to school. The incident sparked a great deal of dispute among members of the school board and community. On one hand, parents and school administrators argued that, the kirpan could be used as a dangerous weapon in the school, and therefore violated the school’s code of conduct prohibiting the carrying of weapons. On the other hand, Gurbaj believes that his religion requires him to wear a kirpan at all times; a kirpan is a religious object that resembles a dagger and must be made of metal. In deciding on whether or not Gurbaj should be permitted to wear his kirpan, the Supreme Court weighed the consequences of limiting Gurbaj’s religious freedoms against the school’s obligation to maintain a safe school environment.
FYI: Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth guru of the Sikh order, founded the Khalsa in 1699. He commanded that the Five Ks or the five articles of faith be worn by Khalsa Sikhs at all times. The five articles of faith namely the Kesh (Hair), Kacchera (specific type of undergarments), Kangha (wooden comb), Kada (iron bracelet) and Kirpan (curved sword), collectively contribute to a Sikh’s external identity and a commitment to the Sikh way of life. The Kirpan is a short dagger that symbolizes a Sikh’s duty to come to the defense of those in peril. All baptised Sikhs wear it on their bodies at all times. It stands for bravery and protecting the weak and innocent, constantly reminding them of their duty to help those who suffer unjustly.
The council of commissioners’ decision prohibiting [Gurbaj Singh Multani] from wearing his kirpan to school infringes his freedom of religion. [Multani] genuinely believes that he would not be complying with the requirements of his religion were he to wear a plastic or wooden kirpan, and none of the parties have contested the sincerity of his belief. The interference with [Multani]’s freedom of religion is neither trivial nor insignificant, as it has deprived him of his right to attend a public school. The infringement of [Multani]’s freedom of religion cannot be justified under s. 1 of the Canadian Charter. Although the council’s decision to prohibit the wearing of a kirpan was motivated by a pressing and substantial objective, namely to ensure a reasonable level of safety at the school, and although the decision had a rational connection with the objective, it has not been shown that such a prohibition minimally impairs [Multani]’s rights.
A Block Criminology - We started it on Friday but today, 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. To help after about 10 minutes or so we'll share our lists.
After that you'll need to take one act from either list and explain why it should be criminalized or why it should be decriminalized. This should be based on an evaluation of harm...in other words how deviant or not is the action? If the action would cause great social harm then perhaps we should criminalize that behaviour. If the action causes minimal social harm then perhaps we should decriminalize that behaviour. 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.
From the 2020 Model United Nations activity regarding the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
As shown above, “the varieties of deviance” (i.e. actions that violate social norms) are considered on three interacting variables: evaluation of social harm, agreement about the norm, and severity of societal response. 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. Through law creation these actions are codified, public opinion and society’s morality are expressed, and avenues for social control and the prevention of activity society deems inappropriate are provided.
This will help us understand the Conflict, Interactionist and Consensus views on crime.
BC Open School Intro Sociology text Chapter 7
Relationship between Deviance and Crime (Jlaw)
Cliff Notes Theories of Deviance
BC Open School Intro Sociology text Chapter 7
Relationship between Deviance and Crime (Jlaw)
Cliff Notes Theories of Deviance
D/C Blocks Social and Environmental Sciences - All afternoon long with Young today. To start, in class, we'll quickly begin our look at the spectrum of Environmental Worldviews which are connected to Environmental Value Systems (we'll look at both these topics in more detail later this week and early next week).
People disagree on how serious different environmental problems are and what we should do about them. These conflicts arise mostly out of differing environmental worldviews - how people think the world works and what they believe their role in the world should be. Part of an environmental worldview is determined by a person’s environmental ethics - what one believes about what is right and what is wrong in our behavior toward the environment (also called an Environmental Value System).
Some environmental worldviews are human centered (anthropocentric), focusing primarily on the needs and wants of people; others are life- or earth centered (biocentric), focusing on individual species, the entire biosphere, or some level in between.
So, you'll get a handout to get some ideas on Environmental worldviews and value systems and after we'll head to the Learning Commons / Library to work on a web quest graphic organizer on the environmental worldviews (political policy platforms) of the six Federal political parties involved in our current election. A political party is a group made up of people who share a similar political ideology and goals about society and government. The shared political ideology and goals are reflective of a Worldview. A Worldview is a collection of attitudes, values, stories and expectations about the world around us, which inform our every thought and action and each political party has a worldview which becomes their political policy platform (what they want to do and how they plan to do it)
You'll get a handout "Canada Federal Election 2021: Political Party Environmental Policies"
Fill out the graphic organizer / chart with information about the Leader, & Local Candidate for each political party (Liberal, Conservative, New Democrat, Green, Bloc Quebecois and People's Party) and then identify their Environmental Priorities, Promises, and Key Messages. Use the following websites to help:
I'll have you complete the Youth Vote Compass and find out what political party your worldview is most closely aligned with. After, you'll need to answer the following:
- Do you agree with where you were placed on the political spectrum? Why/why not?
- Does the political party you were placed with the Youth Vote Compass match your ideas (worldview) on the environment? Why/why not?
- Which political party do you think has the best environmental policy and why is that?
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