What are the Social Sciences? Anthropology – the study of humans, in particular the comparative study of human societies and cultures and their development. Anthropologists look at how we evolved

What are the Social Sciences? Sociology – the study of human social behaviour and the institutions and organizations that form society; the study of how groups of people who share common characteristics function

What are the Social Sciences? Psychology – the study of people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors

What Would you Do? Read Article

An anthropologist would ask: -How did the environment influence the decisions of the people involved? -What violent experiences had there been in this community? -Could cultural factors have influenced decisions?

A psychologist would ask: Why did people not call for help? Why did they obey their supervisor? What factors led the girl to this location?

A sociologist would ask: What factors influenced the decisions of the supervisor, and the employees who did make the 911 call? What were the ethnic or cultural backgrounds of the employees, supervisor, and girl? Were there any factors, such as gender, race, age, or economic status, that might have influenced the assumptions of the supervisor and employees?

The OC Transpo Killing Read the article posted on the wiki In groups of 2 explain what main question each discipline would ask to help understand this event Write a possible explanation (for psychology lots of information, make assumptions about anthropology and sociology explanation I’ll give you 25 mins. To write some points down

A Psychological Explanation Psychologists would examine his life in detail in order to answer: What factors in his personality led Lebrun to commit this crime?

A Psychological Explanation Assume that personality is moulded by a combination of biological factors as well as prior experiences Lebrun was quiet & reserved He lived in isolation He had been bullied at work for a speech problem (stutter)

A Sociological Explanation Sociologists would be interested in answering: What common sociologic factors are there in the lives of people who have gone on shooting sprees at their former place of work?

A Sociological Explanation Some common characteristics of people who have gone on shooting rampages are: - unpopular loner - low tolerance for frustration and anger - harassed at work - low self-esteem - own/possess rifles and other guns

An Anthropological Explanation Anthropologists would be interested in: What were the values of the culture in which he grew up & later worked?

An Anthropological Explanation Assumption is that there are factors in Canadian culture and the “subculture” of OC Transpo that encouraged Lebrun’s behaviour Powerful images of violence are widespread in today’s Canadian culture (sports, media, video games)

An Anthropological Explanation Did OC Transpo have a bad work environment characterized by hostility and aggression? Was there little respect between managers and employees Co-workers teased Lebrun for his stutter

Apply Your Knowledge How might an anthroplogist, psychologist and sociologist, explain the following incidents? A group of thugs attack and injure two men they see coming out of a gay bar A church group sponsors a refugee family from a war-torn country Canadian peacekeeping troops put their lives at risk in a foreign country, where a civil war may break out again Soccer fans overseas riot and get in fist fights with opposing fans after a World Cup qualifying game