Monday, May 6, 2013

Tuesday, May 7. 2013

Today's schedule is C-AG-D-A-B

C Block Social Studies 10 - Today will be another work day for your Ole Bill Coot storyboarding assignment that is due this Friday. I have examples up in the classroom for you to view and I have paper for you to build your storyboards on. Please use your time wisely this week - today will be the last class where I will dedicate the entire block for you to work on the project. Tomorrow and Thursday I will give you time to work on the project, but I'll have other things for you to work on as well so that time is dedicated more for cut, colour and glue. 
Storyboard Templates on Printable Paper

D Block Criminology 12 - OK so this week we're reviewing crime theories and today we'll cover both Choice Theory and Trait Theory...

Choice Theory (Chapter 4 in the CRIM textbook)
Choice theories assume that criminals carefully choose whether to commit criminal acts. People are influenced by their fear of the criminal penalties associated with being caught and convicted for law violations.The choice approach is rooted in the classical criminology of Cesare Beccaria, who argued that punishment should be certain, swift, and severe enough to deter crime.

Today, choice theorists view crime as offense- and offender-specific. Offense-specific means that the characteristics of the crime control whether it occurs. For example, carefully protecting a home makes it less likely to be a target of crime. Offender-specific refers to the personal characteristics of potential criminals. People with specific skills and needs may be more likely to commit crime than others. Research shows that offenders consider their targets carefully before deciding on a course of action. Even violent criminals and drug addicts show signs of rationality.

Trait Theory (Chapter 5 in the CRIM textbook)

One area of interest is biochemical factors, such as diet, allergies, hormonal imbalances, and environmental contaminants (such as lead). The conclusion is that crime, especially violence, is a function of diet, vitamin intake, hormonal imbalance, or food allergies. Neurophysiological factors, such as brain disorders, ADHD, EEG abnormalities, tumors, and head injuries have been linked to crime. Criminals and delinquents often suffer brain impairment, as measured by the EEG. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and minimal brain dysfunction are related to antisocial behavior.

An evolutionary branch holds that changes in the human condition, which have taken millions of years to evolve, may help explain crime rate differences. As the human race evolved, traits and characteristics have become ingrained. Cognitive psychology is concerned with human development and how people perceive the world. Criminality is viewed as a function of improper information processing. Individual reasoning processes influence behavior. Reasoning is influenced by the way people perceive their environment. Psychological traits such as personality and intelligence have been linked to criminality. One important area of study has been the antisocial personality, a person who lacks emotion and concern for others.

So I have two questions for you to answer for me today:
 

  1. Explain your views on whether you agree that most seemingly senseless, random, violent crimes can also be sufficiently explained by the rational choice theory (you should be able to identify those aspects of such crimes that you believe are not well-explained by this particular theory and explain why they cannot be explained using the rational choice theory).
  2. Describe any linkages that have been drawn and supported between criminal behaviour and the following factors: mental illness; intelligence/IQ ratings; and personality
I'll also give you a brief review for our quiz this upcoming Thursday.
 
B Block Social Studies 11 - Today we will continue our work on the Dictatorship for Dummies project that we started in the library on Friday. This is your first major project for term four and can be a very effective way of starting off the term well! You will have today and tomorrow to work on this assignment but that's it so please ask as many questions as you need to do well. Good luck!

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