Welcome to Semester Two.
Today's schedule is CDAB
A 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? Let's go back in time...all the way back to 2023...2023 was the warmest year on record in more than 150 years and, if reconstructing past climates using geological and biological evidence, likely the warmest in history dating back to when human beings began appearing 120,000 years ago. The extremes we saw in 2023 were devastating in many ways, but this is what climate change looks and feels like. What we saw this year only serves as a preview of what the future could bring if emissions of greenhouse gases are not rapidly curtailed. As the climate continues to warm, one can expect increasing wildfires, more intense droughts and hurricanes, and more intense heat waves. Climate change is, intensifying both the frequency and severity of certain kinds of extreme weather events.
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| From City News Vancouver |
Hmmm...sound familiar (cough..Jasper, Alberta in 2024 and the Pallisades in Los Angeles 2025...cough) 🠆
Based on preliminary estimates compiled by Catastrophe Indices and Quantification Inc. (CatIQ), there were 27 major weather events from December 2022 to November 2023, in Canada, each with insured cost losses of at least $30 million and with an aggregate loss approaching $3.5 billion.
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.
How extreme is extreme weather? Here's a closer look also Stunning photos of climate change
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?...
We'll share out what we found.
B Block Criminology - Today, to start, we will go through the course outline package. 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 (maybe), 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. 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.
Today's Fit...
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