This course provides students with an introduction to the field of surveillance studies from a sociological perspective. Surveillance systems and technologies have become a familiar feature of everyday life. Practices of voluntary and involuntary data sharing occur as we shop, as we access services, as we browse the web, as we communicate, and as we travel. Personal information has become a key commodity and means of exercising power.
This course introduces the key historical events, technological transformations, organisational processes and cultural practices that have established the surveillance society. It asks students to consider the social, legal, political and ethical affects of increased visibility in a networked age. This involves analysis of the interests and forces that legitimate the creep of surveillance technologies into the front and backstage regions of life. It entails looking at how people from different backgrounds experience and respond to different types of surveillance in their everyday lives. We also review the key theories and concepts in the surveillance studies field and apply these critically to empirical examples.
The four key questions informing our coverage are:
1. What social, political, economic and cultural conditions have generated the surveillance society?
2. How did surveillance become so normal in everyday life?
3. What purposes and interests does surveillance serve?
4. How does surveillance operate and with what social affects?
Overall, the course provides students with the knowledge, understanding and research skills to approach the topic of surveillance from a critically informed perspective. It equips students with the means to analyse the diverse ways in which contemporary surveillance systems operate and are socially experienced.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:- Identify the social, cultural, political and economic imperatives responsible for the intensification of surveillance.
- Critically evaluate the social impacts and resonances of surveillance processes.
- Explain concepts and theories used by sociologists to analyse and explain surveillance practices, processes and policies: specifically notions of risk, rationalisation, power, visibility, exposure, supervision, big data, spectacle, inequality, vulnerability and resistance.
- Undertake and analyse different forms of research in the surveillance studies field.
- Present complex ideas lucidly and critically, both orally and in writing.
Indicative Assessment
Précis and Analysis Essay (2500 words, 30%) [Learning Outcomes 1-5]Tutorial Presentation, including presentation notes/slides (10 minutes, 20%) [Learning Outcomes 1-5]
Tutorial Participation (10%) [Learning Outcomes 1-5]
Synoptic Exam, 3 hours (40%) [Learning Outcomes 1-5]
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Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures, and 12 hours of tutorials; and, b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.Requisite and Incompatibility
Assumed Knowledge
Basic grasp of sociology and social research methods.Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2017 | $3216 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2017 | $4590 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5132 | 19 Feb 2018 | 27 Feb 2018 | 31 Mar 2018 | 25 May 2018 | In Person | N/A |
