Islands and the Whales

Read Aloud: PBS DISCUSSION GUIDE

• Before viewing the film, we will read pages 4, 6-9, 11-13 of the above linked PBS guide.
• Jot down a question you’re hoping the film will answer, or perhaps a question for one of the Faroese people or the film director.

As you watch, complete the note-taking guide
List of Characters to choose from:

• Bárður Isaksen – young father whose children have elevated mercury levels but who resists calls to end whaling or to stop eating whale meat or blubber
• Pál Weihe – a doctor and the head of the Department of Occupational Medicine and Public Health of the Faroe Islands
• Sea Shepherds--  Marine Wildlife COnservation activists
• The Ornithologist (Puffin-bird guy)-- Local Faroese gentleman who studies birds and insects and has a unique perspective on the Faroese hunting habits

Note-Taking Guide
As you watch, follow along with 2 different characters or groups from the film. Try to identify at least three different arguments or political stances you hear related to environmental concerns, whale hunting, public health, or cultural traditions. Afterwards, you’ll complete the rest of the handout with what you think that person’s underlying assumptions and values are based on his/her/their comments.

• Example
  • About 20 minutes in, a random narrator says: “Our ancestors were convinced that the Huldufolk existed. They respected nature. They took care of it, and treated it carefully. When they went to catch birds, they would not take more than the population could bear. We don’t have that same connection to nature as our forefathers. We don’t show caution. We have drifted away from nature. So there’s a risk modern man goes too far.”
  • Assumptions??
    • Connection to nature is good for humans
    • Disconnection causes humans to overconsume
    • Overconsumption is bad-- leads to harm for environment/birds/humans
  • Values??
    • Respect for nature
    • Caution
    • Sustainability
    • Respect for authority
    • Cultural tradition

After the film
5 minutes: Complete the rest of your note-taking guide.
10 minutes: Form a group of 4 and share out your notes with each other, helping each other identify assumptions and underlying values that you each may have missed in your own notes. I’ll come around and check y’all’s understanding.

HOMEWORK: Finish MIT Chapter 2 Notes.  Due: Start of Class, Friday