We cover two mini-topics this block: tax and crime. Have you ever thought about what the government is getting out of your lunchtime trip to Kosco? What the government does with the tax it collects, as well as who pays and who doesn't are some of the questions we answer in this block.
While our focus is Aotearoa | New Zealand, we will also use examples from different countries to deepen our understanding of the topic. Think, for example, the Boston Tea Party, the British glass tax and the fact that Denmark and Sweden as two of the "happiest countries" in the world have two of the highest tax rates in the world.
Photo Sources: The New York Public Library on Unsplash, and Creative Commons, CC BY-SA
Our second topic is crime and punishment. Across different times and places, we'll examine the variation in, for example, what crimes are and how they are punished. Keeping the focus on place, we look at patterns of crime and how tools such as Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and urban design can be used to decrease crime in cities.
Notes
- You will need a device for research.
- You will need to decide if you want to make notes digitally or in an exercise book, and come prepared.
- Be ready for a high amount of literacy in this course: reading, writing and discussion.
- Your assessment this term will be an essay on a theme related to our topics.