Prison discussion continued

This morning on the New Yorker web page, I found a review of a new book about the history and purpose of US prisons, and it discusses the same issues I wrote about in my previous post. You can read the review here. There is a link in the article to actual prison statistics that would be useful for further research.

Pondering the Role of Prisons...

Should the U.S. judicial system be allowed to give life without parole sentences children who commit crimes less serious than murder? The New York Times posts a debate online.

The debate started me thinking about the role of sentencing for crime in general, and the balance between punishment and reform. From a personal perspective, I have mixed feelings about this issue. In high school I had found myself in trouble a few times, and the way I was handled by the school administration left me feeling that punishment in school was designed to remove undesirable elements: in school and out of school suspension, or, in extreme cases, expulsion. So was the goal simply to remove the offender from society to protect others while punishing the offender? After I switched schools, I found that there was another way of thinking about this: If students found themselves in trouble, they might be removed from the society of school, but the goal was rehabilitation. If a student wasn't following rules, it usually pointed to a bigger personal problem. Breaking the rules was a way to express anger, rage, disappointment, a broken heart; we needed new ways to deal with these problems, and the school was ready to help us find the right way.

But, then, if a serious crime is committed against someone I know, would I want the criminal to suffer for their actions and put away to stop them from hurting another person, or would I want them to be rehabilitated so that the quality of their life improves and they become a productive member of society?

So far I have looked at the personal perspectives from both sides of this issue. When I further investigate the local or national aspects, what questions should I ask? What other perspectives will come into play? Certainly, the cost of housing prisoners is an issue, so there will be an economic perspective. What about the political perspective? What about ethics?

I might begin by asking, "What is the cost of housing a prisoner for one year?" "How much tax dollars go into the U.S. prison system annually?" "What are the standards of living like in a prison?" "Do prisoners have access to higher education? Should they? What are the benefits to society if they do have access? Does this create a financial burden for society? Is it fair for a prisoner to have access to higher education while many innocent people have no access because it is too costly?"

With these questions, I can start to see a variety of perspectives on the local and national levels. But what about the global level? What questions can I ask that will help me see that larger perspective? Can this issue even be viewed from a global perspective?

Watch The Story of Stuff! This is a good example of showing how personal, local and global perspective converge in a single issue.

Due dates

Patent Project: Due November 13, 2009

Independent Research: completed November 20, 2009

Portfolio for Law and Criminality: Due December 04, 2009 (this date is non-negotiable).

Independent Research Guidance

How do I begin my own research? What questions do I ask? Do I begin with a global perspective or a personal perspective?

If you have these or similar questions, you are not alone. Setting out to do your own research can be a daunting task. In this post, you will find a few methods to help you get started, and keep going deeper, into your research.

• As a class, we investigated the right to free speech, paying attention to the laws that protect speech and the laws that limit speech. Which other rights are protected by the law? Which other rights are limited by the law? Are you personally affected by limitations of certain rights?
• As a class, we were introduced to the issue of human trafficking. What questions were you left with? Is human trafficking an issue in Indonesia or Bali? In the country you are from? What search term would you use to find out?
• aside from the specific issue of patents, what are some other issues of ownership you are familiar with? Do you break copyright laws? Follow Ira's progress as she investigates the culture conflict between Bali and Malaysia. Is assimilating another people's culture theft? Should there be international laws against it?

The questions you initially ask, once researched, should lead you on to more questions; more questions will lead you deeper into the issue and illuminate multiple perspectives. That is how good research works. Keep track of the questions you ask by posting them to your blog. Summarise your findings as you go, with links back to the original sources. You will leave a trail of information that will become the basis of your knowledge.

From Guided to Independent Research

Through this week, you will be transitioning from guided to independent research. Once you have described your intentions for the Patent research project in a post on your blog, you are to begin your own research in class while completing the patent project outside of class. Here are some guidelines to help you with the transition:

1. Post your plan for the patent project. Refer to the project handout (also posted on this blog), for options available to you. Respond to any questions I ask about your plan (in the comments section)

2. Begin working on your project at home. You need to pace yourself; don't save it for the last few days. A good project requires planning, drafting, revising and final touch-ups. Due date is Friday, November 13--one week from this Friday.

3. In class (and at home, if more time is needed), begin your independent research. A separate post guiding you in this process will appear on this blog presently.

4. You will work through the independent research as you have worked through the patent research project: from inquiry through presentation. Every second of class time must be dedicated to this work as time is limited. The independent research is due to be complete by December 4. That is only four weeks away.

The Pros and Cons of Patents: a guided research project for Global Perspectives

For this project, you will investigate the uses and abuses of patents through guided research. In the fist step, you will collect information to answer a series of questions. Next, you will summarize your findings into a brief informative essay. Finally, you will create products that show your viewpoint of patents (and ownership in general) on a personal, local and global level, making connections between these perspectives wherever possible.

Ø Step one: gathering information

Answer the following questions with information found online. Copy and paste the key information into a word document, using the question as a heading. Copy and paste the web address with the information you have found. Each question requires you use multiple sources. Search terms are included in order to help you find the information you are looking for. The first question has been done for you as an example. Use the same format as in the example to do your own work.

1. What is a patent? What is the major benefit of holding a patent?

• Use three sources
• Search “what is a patent?”

United States Patent and Trademark Office: http://www.uspto.gov/go/pac/doc/general/#patent

A patent for an invention is the grant of a property right to the inventor…

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent

A patent … is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state (national government) to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for a public disclosure of an invention.

Intellectual Property Australia: http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/patents/what_index.shtml

A patent is a right granted for any device, substance, method or process which is new, inventive and useful.

A patent is legally enforceable and gives the owner the exclusive right to commercially exploit the invention for the life of the patent. This is not automatic-you must apply for a patent to obtain exclusive rights to exploit your invention.

2. What is the intentional purpose of patents?

· Use two sources

· Search “purpose of patents”

3. How long does a patent last? Can a patent be renewed (extended)?

· Use at least two sources total

· Search “patent lifespan” and “patent renewal”

4. Why do patents expire?

· Use one source

5. What are three or four controversies surrounding patents / ownership rights?

· Use at least three sources online (none of them from Wikipedia)

· Note the patent controversy in the film “Who Killed the Electric Car” (viewed in class)

· Search “patent controversy” (additional keywords: agricultural, pharmaceutical, technology, economic)

· Do not paste in long passages—just the gist of the controversy. You may have to summarize your findings for this answer.

Due Friday at the start of class. You may turn in your work on a USB in Microsoft word document format, or you may turn in a printed copy. I will also accept electronic submissions at mowdyjoel@gmail.com by Friday

Graded for completeness and correctness. Points deducted for lateness.

Ø Step Two: summarize your findings

Once you have gathered information for all of the questions, summarize your findings by synthesizing, or combining into your own words, the information you found and your prior knowledge. There is no word count, but the summary must be complete and organized (answers all questions with relevant information / examples, and with logical transitions between ideas)

Due date to be announced at the return of break

Graded using the six traits of writing

Ø Step Three: the final product

Answer the following question:

Do benefits of patents outweigh the disadvantages? Explain using examples from personal and / or national and / or global perspectives (in conjunction with the knowledge gained through research and class activities)

Your product will include original extended writing that meets grade-level expectations (250-500 words, approximately). You have the following options:

• Create a graphic story (using text and illustration);
• Create a 3-5 minute documentary-style video (or storyboard) that mixes voice-over with appropriate images;
• Write an essay that uses charts, graphs, diagrams, illustrations and / or maps to support the text;
• Create a pod-cast of a story or essay, incorporating supporting sound, music, and borrowed audio clips where appropriate.
• Your idea: submit to the teacher in writing for approval.

All borrowed material must be cited. All work will be completed individually. All work is expected to meet high presentation standards.

Grading for final product:

In addition to meeting the above criteria:

• A product receiving a grade of “D” will show a carefully considered point of view from one of the perspectives. This grade also applies to work that aims for the “C” criteria but does not adequately fulfill all of the requirements;

• A product receiving a grade of “C” will show a carefully considered point of view from at least two of the perspectives. The work is creative.

• A product receiving a grade of “B” will show consideration of both sides of the issue and make connections between two of the perspectives (personal-national / personal-global / national-global). The creator shows enthusiasm for their work by using personal strengths (e.g. artistic / performance / video editing ability) to make the product outstanding.

• A product receiving a grade of “A” will have all the marks of a “B” product and, in addition, show a deep consideration of additional perspectives (economical, ethical, etc)

GP Blog updates

Looking over the blogs this weekend, I saw that we are falling behind as a class. We need to have the patent research summary on the blog before proceeding to the project, which, as you know, is a model of the portfolio work you are completing for GP this quarter.