Unfortunately, all of this is subject to change 😕 FYI, after this week, this blog will not be updated until I return. Please consult Ms. McDonald and Mr. Benton.
After you create your blog (IF YOU GET STUCK on the blog creation portion, then move on and in a Google Doc or Word file), then as your first entry you'll need to write your own theory as to why people commit crime. To help, use the brainstormed list we did in class last week along with the theories handout you'll get today and the notes below... To help you build your own theories about why crime happens - which is your first blog entry - below you'll find some notes on Choice, Trait, Social Structure, Social Learning, and Conflict theories:
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.
Social Structure Theories (Chapter 6 in the Crim textbook) Social structure theories suggest that people’s place in the socioeconomic structure influences their chances of becoming criminals. Poor people are more likely to commit crimes because they are unable to achieve monetary or social success in any other way. Social structure theory includes three schools of thought: social disorganization, strain, and cultural deviance theories. Social disorganization theory suggests that the urban poor violate the law because they live in areas in which social control has broken down. Strain theories view crime as resulting from the anger people experience over their inability to achieve legitimate social and economic success. Cultural deviance theories hold that a unique value system develops in lower-class areas. Lower-class values approve of behaviors such as being tough, never showing fear, and defying authority. People perceiving strain will bond together in their own groups or subcultures for support and recognition.
Social Process Theories (Chapter 7 in the Crim textbook) Social learning theory stresses that people learn how to commit crimes. Social control theory analyzes the failure of society to control criminal tendencies. Labeling theory maintains that negative labels produce criminal careers. Social learning theory suggests that people learn criminal behaviors much as they learn conventional behavior. Control theory maintains that all people have the potential to become criminals, but their bonds to conventional society prevent them from violating the law. This view suggests that a person’s self-concept aids his or her commitment to conventional action. Social reaction or labeling theory holds that criminality is promoted by becoming negatively labeled by significant others. Such labels as “criminal,” “ex-con,” and “junkie” isolate people from society and lock them into lives of crime.
Conflict Theory (Chapter 8 in the Crim textbook) Social conflict theorists view crime as a function of the conflict that exists in society. Conflict theorists suggest that crime in any society is caused by class conflict. Laws are created by those in power to protect their rights and interests. Marxist criminology views the competitive nature of the capitalist system as a major cause of crime. The poor commit crimes because of their frustration, anger, and need. The wealthy engage in illegal acts because they are used to competition and because they must do so to keep their positions in society.
Once you've done this, then find an article about a recent crime here in Canada, make a link to the news article on your blogsite and then write how your crime theory explains why the crime happened. An excellent crime news website is the CANOE CNews Crime site...or the Toronto Star Crime site...or Global News Crime site...or the Huffington Post Canada Crime site...or the Vancouver Sun Crime Blog
And to help you here is an example from a previous Criminology family member Mariah Barth...
Crime happens for many reasons, however I believe that one of the main reasons people commit crime is because of social structures they are immersed in and the people they associate with. Obviously there are many other contributing factors such as brain chemistry, gender, drug usage, inner conflict and just plain choice, the list could go on and on, but the people we surround ourselves with play a huge role in how we behave. I know personally I act differently around my parents then I do when its just my friends and I. others play a huge influence in our lives. As children we learned everything from our parents and mimicked their behavior, then as we entered school we made friends and copied their behavior as well. If we ended up making friends with bad apples then we will most likely be doing and acting the way they are, all feeding off each others behavior in a sense Peer pressure from these same people we hang around with has a major influence on whether or not we are committing crime. For example in this article you have a 13 year old boy planning on robbing a convince store with no previous criminal record and 3 accomplices older then him, I don't personally know the kid but something tells me he was not the one to come up with the idea, maybe robbing the store what he had to do to become a member of the "Indian Posse" gang or just to impress the older boys either way it was most likely him trying to be tough and to impress someone else. I personally know a kid who at the age of 15 tried to shoplift something from a mall, I don't know what it was he was trying to steal but what I do know was he got chased and tackled by mall cops then spent a few hours in jail waiting for his mother to bail him out. This kid is not a bad kid I know that he is a good human being, comes from a good stable he's just your average teenage boy trying to fit in, but the kids he was hanging around with are kind of shady guys, I know for a fact that this boy regrets doing this, and in the long run getting caught for him turned out being more embarrassing then being too chicken to shoplift whatever it was he was attempting to steal. It just goes to show how far people will go to feel some sort of belonging in society and when they themselves feel uncomfortable with the fact that they might be different in someway or defy social norms people can go to extreme lengths to feel loved and important.
I will need your blog/web addresses next Monday, when this entry is due.
On Tuesday, Since 1962, Statistics Canada has collected information on all criminal incidents reported by Canadian police services through its annual Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey. In addition to the now UCR2, Statistics Canada also collects information on victims of crime through the General Social Survey (GSS) on Canadians’ Safety (Victimization), which is conducted every five years. Unlike the UCR, the GSS on Victimization collects data on self-reported experiences with crime which include incidents that may or may not have been brought to the attention of the police. These complementary surveys are the primary sources of data on crime and victimization in Canada.
So what about trends? Highlights of the Stats Can Report show:
The Violent CSI rose in 2022, reaching its highest point since 2007. The increase in the Violent CSI in 2022 included higher rates of robbery - up for the first time in two years (+15%), extortion (+39%), homicide (+8%) and level 1 sexual assault (+3%) at 90 incidents per 100,000 population in 2022, an increase of 1,574 incidents. As in previous years, level 1 sexual assault accounted for 98% of sexual assaults in 2022. Rates of level 2 and level 3 sexual assault, two more serious offences, remained stable and both decreased 4%.
The Non-violent CSI also increased 4% in 2022 but was 6% lower than in 2019. Much of the increase in 2022 was because of higher rates of several property crimes, notably motor vehicle theft (+24%), breaking and entering (+4%), minor theft ($5,000 or under; +10%), shoplifting ($5,000 or under; +31%) and general fraud (+7%). Of note, the rate of police-reported fraud (which includes general fraud, identity theft and identity fraud) was 78% higher than a 2012 (a decade earlier)
Crime rates didn't increase across the board. Rates for non-violent crimes, such as drug offences (-17%), impaired driving (-3%), identity fraud (-11%) and identity theft (-8%), have declined since 2021.
Also of note: The number of police-reported hate crimes increased by 7%, from 3,355 incidents in 2021 to 3,576 incidents in 2022. This followed a 72% increase from 2019 to 2021. Higher numbers of hate crimes targeting a race or an ethnicity (+12%; 1,950 incidents) and a sexual orientation (+12%; 491 incidents) accounted for most of the increase. Hate crimes targeting a religion were down 15% in 2022, yet remained higher than the previous three years. Among the provinces and territories, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan accounted for much of the national increase.
In terms of homicide, Police reported 874 homicides in 2022, 78 more than the year before. The homicide rate increased 8% from 2.08 homicides per 100,000 population in 2021 to 2.25 homicides per 100,000 population in 2022. This was the highest rate since 1992. The national increase was largely the result of more homicides in British Columbia (+30 homicides), Manitoba (+26 homicides) and Quebec (+20 homicides). As has been the case historically, provincial homicide rates were highest in Manitoba (6.24 homicides per 100,000 population) and Saskatchewan (5.94 per 100,000). Of the 874 homicides in Canada police reported 225 Indigenous homicide victims in 2022, 32 more than in 2021. Over two-thirds (69%) of Indigenous homicide victims were identified by police as First Nations, while 3% were identified as Métis and 4% as Inuk (Inuit). The specific Indigenous group was not identified by police for 24% of Indigenous homicide victims. The homicide rate for Indigenous people (10.98 homicides per 100,000 population) was nearly seven times higher than for the non-Indigenous population (1.69 homicides per 100,000 population)!
What about Courtenay (municipal - city) stats? In 2003 Courtenay's CSI was 223.24
Today I'll have you work on three questions about crime trends (don't worry, you'll get time tomorrow for this too):
- Using pages 37 to 46 in the CRIM textbook outline and explain the crime patterns in relation to ecology, firearms, social class, age, gender and race.
- What is a chronic offender and what is the significance of Marvin Wolfgang's discovery (why is identifying the chronic offender important)?
- How would you explain the gender differences in the crime rate (why do you think males are more violent than females)?
Wednesday Today I'll have you work on the three questions about crime trends I posted on Tuesday:
- Using pages 37 to 46 in the CRIM textbook outline and explain the crime patterns in relation to ecology, firearms, social class, age, gender and race. You could also use the link Who Commits Crime? to help and although it's about Saskatchewan check out Influences on Criminal Behaviour - Theory and Evidence
- What is a chronic offender and what is the significance of Marvin Wolfgang's discovery (why is identifying the chronic offender/Long Term Offender important)? More than 115 criminal convictions in B.C.: One chronic offender's story
- How would you explain the gender differences in the crime rate (why do you think males are more violent than females)? Feel free to use the links Gender and Crime in Sociology, Women and the Criminal Justice System, Are men more violent than women?, Gender and Crime
For question 1 above look at the crime statistics and demographics portions of:
or portions of:
Thursday, we'll talk about victims of crime. Every day we have specific routines we engage in. Many of these routines are tailored to preventing us from becoming victims of crime. We do things like lock our doors, watch where we walk at night, or avoid walking alone. We take these actions because at some level we are afraid of the possibility of being a victim of crime. Despite taking these actions people often fall prey to crime in Canada. So what do we know about victimization?
- Women were at higher risk than men of being victims of a violent crime
- Age was the key risk factor in violent victimization
- Drug use, binge drinking and the frequency of evening activities were associated with the risk of violent victimization
- Mental health was associated with the risk of violent victimization
- People who suffered child maltreatment were more likely to be victims of a violent crime
- People with a history of homelessness were more likely to report being a victim of a violent crime
- The risk of violent victimization was higher among people residing in a neighbourhood with low social cohesion
- Aboriginal people, in particular women, were more likely to be victims
- One-quarter of violent incidents took place at the victim’s place of work
- The majority of offenders were male and, on average, in their early thirties
- Most victims knew their attacker
- Most violent incidents did not involve weapons and did not result in physical injury
- Low social cohesion was associated with a higher risk of household victimization
- Households residing in apartments or condos were less likely to be victimized by household crime
- The size of the household was linked to the risk of victimization
- One incident in five resulted in losses of $1,000 or more
- Most incidents of victimization did not come to the attention of the police
We will focus on the impact that crime has on victims. We'll try to examine the impacts of crime on victims (both short and long term)
I'll go over some notes with you on this and we'll try to understand how violence and violent crime (out next topic in the course) is a traumatic event that impacts human lives. I'd like you to read through the "Nature of Victimization" on pages 53-5 and 57-58 and "Theories of Victimization" dealing with Victim Precipitation, Lifestyle, and Routine Activities on pages 59-62 in the CRIM text. After discussing these sections your job will be to complete the following:
1. Briefly outline and explain the patterns we've identified in victimization (social ecology, household, personal characteristics and repeat victimization)
2. Explain and compare the three theories of crime victimization.
I'll go over some notes with you on this and we'll try to understand how violence and violent crime (out next topic in the course) is a traumatic event that impacts human lives. I'd like you to read through the "Nature of Victimization" on pages 53-5 and 57-58 and "Theories of Victimization" dealing with Victim Precipitation, Lifestyle, and Routine Activities on pages 59-62 in the CRIM text. After discussing these sections your job will be to complete the following:
1. Briefly outline and explain the patterns we've identified in victimization (social ecology, household, personal characteristics and repeat victimization)
2. Explain and compare the three theories of crime victimization.
Criminal victimization in Canada, 2019 (from The 2019 General Social Survey GSS on Canadians’ Safety - Victimization)
Friday, we'll analyze the short and long term effects that crime has on victims
Based on the data reported to the GSS, there are certain characteristics that place an individual or a household at greater risk of victimization. In 2019, the key factors associated with higher odds of violent victimization were: being younger; being a woman; being a sexual minority; living in a neighbourhood where social disorder is perceived; having been homeless; having been abused, witnessed violence, or experienced harsh parenting or neglect during childhood, and; participating in a higher number of evening activities outside the home.
To help check out The Impact of Victimization prepared by the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime and the Victims’ roles and rights in the criminal justice system and Criminal Victimization in Canada (from the most recent General Social Survey in 2019 - look at Reporting victimization to police Charts 7 and 8).
Read the following hypothetical victim story (from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Course Module 11 Access to Justice for Victims) and we'll try to discuss the following together:
- What happened?
- What type of damage did the victim(s) suffer?
- What needs the victim(s) might have?
- What would be the best approach to ensuring justice for these victim(s)?
Allie and Mike are both in their mid-seventies. They are both retired, and since their children grew up and left, besides being grandparents, they look after themselves, travel, spend time in the community, and engaged with various hobbies. Mike had a hip replacement a few years ago and has some issue in walking; Allie has high blood pressure and is on heart medication. They have been together for 45 years.One night while returning from a concert performance, Allie was taking the keys from her bag, they were approached by two young men who distracted them by asking for directions. They seemed lost and were very gentle to the couple, apologizing. After spending a few seconds in exchanging information, one of the two young men, grabbed Allie's bag, where she had her purse, keys, her mobile and some photos and small objects, while the other young men hit Mike on his head, took his wallet and left him unconscious on the ground. Allie, in total shock, started shouting and asking for help. She did not have the phone anymore, and as much as she was shaking could not even shout; eventually, after ten minutes, someone called an ambulance and then the police arrived.They were both brought the hospital where Mile spent five days 'under observation' due to a mild concussion. When home, he could not stand on his own feet, as he was always dizzy and losing balance. Consequently, one of their sons moved in, and they also had to have some professional assistance.One of the two young men were arrested three days after the attack thanks to some cameras positioned in a nearby bank. He pleaded guilty, saying that he was under the effects of drug and alcohol and did not have the means to pay back any of the costs or damages.
I'd like you to read through the "Nature of Victimization" on pages 53-5 and 57-58 and "Theories of Victimization" dealing with Victim Precipitation, Lifestyle, and Routine Activities on pages 59-62 in the CRIM text. After discussing these sections your job will be to complete the following (don't worry, you'll have all tomorrow to work on this too):
- Briefly outline and explain the patterns we've identified in victimization (social ecology, household, personal characteristics and repeat victimization)
- Explain and compare the three theories of crime victimization.
- What is victim blaming and what are its consequences?
- Why are some victims less likely to report the victimization they suffered? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
- What can make a person more vulnerable for some type of crimes? Provide a few examples.
To help:
B Block Human Geography - On Monday, we'll talk about the arrangement of people and activities found in space and try to understand why those people and activities are distributed the way they are. We'll figure out what density, distribution, concentration and pattern have to do with people an activities on the Earth's surface. Along with this we'll look at connections, diffusion, interaction and hearths in order to see how people and activities impact and are impacted by each other (through spatial interaction and networks).
Consider the Cultural Diffusion of Hip Hop...from Icon Collective
Hip hop is a subculture and an art movement that emerged from the Bronx in New York City during the early 1970s. Its development reflected the negative effects of post-industrial decline, political discourse, and a rapidly changing economy. The global influence of hip hop culture has shaped music styles, fashion, technology, art, entertainment, language, dance, education, politics, media, and more.
So the cultural hearth of Hip Hop is NYC in the 1970's...as exemplified by kickin' it old school with Grandmaster Flash
Hip Hop as a musical artform diffused hierarchically throughout the United States (originally in New York and LA) then through a stimulus diffusion throughout Atlanta, Miami, Houston, Memphis, Detroit, D.C., Philadelphia, Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago, New Orleans where it was changed by the adopters to reflect their local cultures.
The History and Geography of Hip HopTuesday we'll start with Tobler’s First law of Geography states that Everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things. Therefore the interaction between places diminishes in intensity and frequency as distance between them increases (time-distance decay). Diffusion is the process of dissemination, the spread of an idea or innovation from its hearth (place of origin) to other areas. What slows/prevents diffusion? - time-distance decay...the further something is apart from it's hearth the lesser the intensity of its transmission may become. Anything else?
I'll have you define Hearth and then Relocation Diffusion and Expansion Diffusion along with the three types Contagious, Hierarchical, and Stimulus Diffusion. You'll also need to give examples of each type. Finally, in your first work package I've asked you to plot the following fast food restaurant chains on the map provided: McDonalds, Tim Horton’s, Starbucks, A&W, and Subway (don’t forget essentials…I’ve given you scale but you need a legend, a title and direction). After you'll need to answer the question:
What pattern exists and why are the fast food restaurants located in that pattern (give at least three reasons – use the concepts of site, situation, and region in your response along with density, distribution, and concentration)
Wednesday, we'll start with time to work on your definitions for Hearth and Diffusion and work on your Comox Valley Fast Food map and big thinking question...
What pattern exists and why are the fast food restaurants located in that pattern (give at least three reasons – use the concepts of site, situation, and region in your response along with density, distribution, and concentration)
If there's time we'll look at the Key Question: Why Are Some Human Actions Not Sustainable? We'll look at what a resource is (renewable and non-renewable) along with the uses and misuses of resources by humans.
Thursday, we'll look at the Key Question: Why Are Some Human Actions Not Sustainable? We'll look at what a resource is (renewable and non-renewable) along with the uses and misuses of resources by humans.
We'll figure out what "sustainability" means (The three pillars - social, environmental and economic) and take a look at the UN Sustainable Development Goals
We'll look at the progress of these goals in The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2019 and lastly, I'll need you to fill in the chart in your week 2 package on the three pillars of sustainability: environment, economy, and society. You can use this Human Geography text Sustainable Development Chapter or you could look at the Topics in Sustainable Development here.
Friday, we'll examine the concept of possibilism connected to sustainability and cultural ecology. I'd like you to examine two examples of how human beings have altered the physical environment in the Netherlands and in Florida. From the text...
Few ecosystems have been as thoroughly modified by humans as the Netherlands and Florida's Everglades. Because more than half of the Netherlands lies below sea level, most of the country today would be under water if it were not for massive projects to modify the environment by holding back the sea. Meanwhile, the fragile landscape of south Florida has been altered in insensitive ways.So I'd like you to identify in point form the problems in both these locations and explain what have humans done (Describe the human modifications and adaptations to these two environments).
Could you please answer the following question at the end of your Introduction package?
Both the Netherlands and the Florida Everglades face threats to sustainability. Which is better positioned to face future challenges? Explain your answer.
To help check out
Everglades in crisis: can this Florida treasure avert an environmental tragedy?
Why is it Important to Restore the Everglades?
The Everglades Threats to the Ecosystem
The Dutch Have Solutions to Rising Seas. The World Is Watching.
Can the Dutch save the world from the danger of rising sea levels?
Rising sea levels - how the Netherlands found ways of working with the environment
Both the Netherlands and the Florida Everglades face threats to sustainability. Which is better positioned to face future challenges? Explain your answer.
To help check out
Everglades in crisis: can this Florida treasure avert an environmental tragedy?
Why is it Important to Restore the Everglades?
The Everglades Threats to the Ecosystem
The Dutch Have Solutions to Rising Seas. The World Is Watching.
Can the Dutch save the world from the danger of rising sea levels?
Rising sea levels - how the Netherlands found ways of working with the environment
C/D Blocks Social and Environmental Sciences - Monday, In the first part of class, we'll begin our look at Environmental Worldviews which are connected to Environmental Value Systems. 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. You'll get a handout to work through with Young for today and tomorrow. Wednesday we'll see how worldview is connected to political ideology and examine the environmental worldviews of the Federal political parties here in Canada.
Then with Benton you will start our environmental journey with a look at freshwater. At a biologically microscopic, atomic, and sub-atomic level water is extremely complex and without it life would not exist. Water is essential to all animal and plant life on Earth. Plants, for example, use water in photosynthesis to make their food. Roughly 60% of the adult human body is water and it performs many functions, including:
- Dissolving vital nutrients in the bloodstream and delivering them to cells.
- Regulating our body temperature.
- Dissolving waste substances and carrying them out of the body in urine, feces and sweat.
- Protecting tissues, joints and the spinal cord.
We are looking at the ecological connections to water in our observations of and mapping the riparian features of Towhee Creek. Many beings depend on freshwater and understanding the whole can help guide us to make better decisions for the future. Today you'll start with a water analysis.
You'll look at what is in freshwater
You'll look at the question What is Clean Water?
And try to figure out when water is safe to drink
Benton will take you down to Towhee Creek to collect some water samples for a lab you'll work on in Wednesday's class.
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| Mr. Ingram's photo |
On Tuesday, we are off for a field study of the beach at Point Holmes (Georgia Strait Alliance site code XPH). You will be doing a beach quadrat to look for biodiversity indicators through gathering quantitative information from the intertidal zone. Quadrat studies are a method of looking at what kinds of animals, seaweeds and plants live in the intertidal zone, and how abundant they are relative to each other. A primary quadrat analysis is a survey of what is living above the substrate level (the beach has cobbles and boulders that come from the Vashon Till plain which makes up Cape Lazo - it is exposed to the southeast winter winds and is a high energy shoreline which causes erosion of the bluffs to the beach). It does not include unattached (washed up) plants or dead animals. It gives us information about what kinds of species are living on the beach, how many of them are present and how much of the beach they occupy.
We'll start with the high tide line/drift line (supralittoral), work through the inter tidal zone (mesolittoral), and finish with the swash zone (infralittoral). Often the wrack line (last high tide line) is covered in seaweed and other material (i.e. plastic pollution and beach litter). If there are multiple wrack lines, all details describing which wrack line was evaluated should be included in your notes. Identification should be to the species level if possible. Use magnifiers, identification sheets, and field identification books to help you identify organisms. If unsure note it with a question mark and take a picture of it. For algae, identifying to genus is often all that is practical in the field. There are two types of data being collected in the primary survey – percent cover and species presence/abundance. Percent cover takes into account both living and dead material – species presence/abundance only records living organisms.
Our low tide at Point Holmes will be 1.32m (4.3ft) at 11:25 am.
Wednesday you'll start to conduct a sample water analysis from CARO labs, metals, anions, alkalinity, etc. Comparison to Health Canada limits for specific water uses, drinking, irrigation, etc. Lab Component: examine water samples and test for pH, colour and turbidity. I posted these for you before, however as a reminder...We looked at the ecological connections to water in our observations of and mapping the riparian features of Towhee Creek. Many beings depend on freshwater and understanding the whole can help guide us to make better decisions for the future. Today you'll start with a water analysis.
You'll look at what is in freshwater
In #115, you'll work through your Environmental Value Systems and Worldviews handout. 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 and relationship with 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 Today I'll have you fill in/work on
Thursday 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 in Canada. 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 Political Party Environmental Policies"
Fill out the graphic organizer / chart with information about the Leader 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 links above and the following websites to help:
Then, 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?
Friday you'll conduct a sample water analysis from CARO labs, looking at samples for metals, anions, alkalinity, etc. You'll do a comparison to Health Canada limits for specific water uses, drinking, irrigation, and you'll examine water samples and test for pH, colour and turbidity. Then, we're going to wrap up the week with a qualitative analysis of water quality from the Comox Valley. We will have you bring in water samples from home to see what your water tastes and looks like.
How and Why did the water samples taste differently?
What might impact what water tastes like and looks like?
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