COMM 35005 - Surveillance of Difference

Course Credit: 1
(WGSS)
SURVEILLANCE OF DIFFERENCE What is the definition of surveillance? What does it mean to be “visible” to the government or your neighbor? What impact do social media have on perceptions of identity? On social movements? These are a few of the questions we will investigate in this course. From a feminist perspective, we will seek to understand the relationship between individual bodies and modern forms of surveillance such as the Apple watch, Twitter, or body scanners in the airport. We will also screen episodes from BBC’s “Orphan Black” and “Black Mirror” to understand how surveillance is represented in the media. Additionally, we will consider how categories of identity such as gender, race and ethnicity, or sexuality impact an individual’s ability to be visible or invisible and some of the consequences associated with these identities.