Panopticism

This is an argumentative paper. That means you need to have a thesis statement that describes what you are trying to argue.

1. Choose a surveillance theory. You will be applying concepts from this theory to critically assess the technology you choose. I encourage you to select a theory you are most comfortable with.

2. Choose a surveillance technology. This is what you are going to be analyzing in the paper. Try to choose something that interests you – is there something that we talked about in class that really grabbed your attention? Or is there another technology we didn’t get to cover, and which you would like to learn more about?

Organization

This paper should be structured like a typical academic, peer-reviewed journal article. It should be broken up into 6 sections with headings.

1. Introduction (10%)
Introduce the topic you will be talking about. Conclude with your thesis statement.
2. Background (15%)
Provide an overview of the surveillance technology you will be analyzing. Assume that your readers have never heard of this technology before: what is it? How does it work?
3. Theory (20%)
Summarize the theory you will be using and define key concepts. You can draw on your theory paper here, if you are using the same theory.
4. Analysis (25%)
Apply theoretical concepts to the surveillance technology you’ve chosen while making the argument you laid out in your thesis statement.
5. Limitations (15%)
Think about what your analysis does not explain. Is there anything important to account for here that your theory does not allow you to capture?
6. Conclusion (15%)
Summarize your argument while looking to the bigger picture. Why should we care about this? What are the broader implications?

Formalities

5-6 pages, double-spaced
Required references: at least 3 academic sources (can include required readings)
The usual formatting: 12-point font, 1-inch margins
ASA citation style
You are welcome to use first-person pronouns – in fact, I encourage it.