CRIM 2001 - Surveillance, Deviance & Crime

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2019

This course provides an insight into the field of surveillance studies from both a criminological and sociological perspective. Surveillance devices and practices are an increasingly familiar feature not only of crime control but also of everyday living. Data capture occurs as individuals break the law, shop, access services, browse the web, communicate and travel. As a consequence, personal information has become both a vital commodity and an exploitable resource for the wielding of power. Institutions seek to exploit such data to control `deviants?, customers and even those for whom they have a duty of care. This course takes as its starting point the theories and concepts prominent in surveillance studies and drawing upon key theorists, such as Foucault, Lyon and Haggerty, examines the extent to which these ideas offer insights into monitoring practices in late modernity. These insights are then further developed through a consideration of the broader political and economic pressures surrounding surveillance practices, including the possibilities for resistance. A range of surveillance technologies used by the state and other organisations to control both crime and the more mundane elements of everyday life will be examined throughout the course.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code CRIM 2001
    Course Surveillance, Deviance & Crime
    Coordinating Unit Sociology, Criminology and Gender Studies
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Prerequisites At least 12 units of Level I undergraduate study
    Incompatible GSSA 2113
    Course Description This course provides an insight into the field of surveillance studies from both a criminological and sociological perspective. Surveillance devices and practices are an increasingly familiar feature not only of crime control but also of everyday living. Data capture occurs as individuals break the law, shop, access services, browse the web, communicate and travel. As a consequence, personal information has become both a vital commodity and an exploitable resource for the wielding of power. Institutions seek to exploit such data to control `deviants?, customers and even those for whom they have a duty of care. This course takes as its starting point the theories and concepts prominent in surveillance studies and drawing upon key theorists, such as Foucault, Lyon and Haggerty, examines the extent to which these ideas offer insights into monitoring practices in late modernity. These insights are then further developed through a consideration of the broader political and economic pressures surrounding surveillance practices, including the possibilities for resistance. A range of surveillance technologies used by the state and other organisations to control both crime and the more mundane elements of everyday life will be examined throughout the course.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Ruthie O'Reilly

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes

     On the successful completion of this course students will be able to:

    Understand theoretical concepts and perspectives used by sociologists and criminologists to analyse and explain surveillance practices, processes and policies.

    Critically evaluate the social impacts and resonances of surveillance in contemporary societies, with particular reference to deviance and crime.

    Understand the various reactions to surveillance practices in everyday life, particularly with regard to strategies of resistance.

    Comprehend the relational interplays between surveillance practices, monitored populations and illegal activity.

    Discern the political, economic and cultural influences responsible for the intensification of surveillance.

    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1,5
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    2,3,4
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    2,3,4,5
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    2,5
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    1,2,5
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    2,3
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    Weekly readings


    Week 01 Waking up in a surveillance society

    O’Brien, M & Yar, M. (2008) Surveillance, In M. O’Brien M. Yar, M (Eds) Criminology: The Key Concepts. Routledge: Abingdon, Oxon. Pp 166-169.

    Gilliom, J. & Monahan, T. (2013) SuperVision: An Introduction to the Surveillance society. Pp 1-10. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.


    Week 02 Are prisons panoptic?

    Foucault, M. (1977) Panopticism (an extract from Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Modern Prison. New York: Vintage) In C. Greer (Ed.) (2010) Crime and Media: A Reader. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Pp 493-505.

    Smith, C. (2012) Corrections In Hayes, H. & Penzler, T. (Eds) An Introduction to Crime and Criminology. Frenches Forest, NSW: Pearson. Pp 290-302.


    Week 03 Watching the neighbours: crime prevention and community safety
    Boyne, R. (2000) ‘Post-Panopticism.’ Economy and Society 29(2): 285-307.

    Kelly, A. and Finlayson, A., 2015. Can Facebook save Neighbourhood Watch? The Police Journal, p.0032258X15570557.


    Week 04 The new penology and police surveillance

    Haggerty, K. (2012) Surveillance, crime and the police. In K. Ball, K. Haggerty & D. Lyon (Eds.) Routledge Handbook of Surveillance Studies. New York: Routledge. Pp 235-243.

    Newburn, T. (2013) Criminology. London: Routledge. 327-347
    This chapter on ‘Late modernity, governmentality and risk’ not only discusses new penology (p. 345), but also gives an excellent overview of Discipline and Punish, governmentality (we return to this concept later in the course) and Garland’s Culture of Control.


    Week 05 The security industry and the surveillance assemblage

    Prenzler, T. and Sarre, R. (2009) The Policing Complex. In A. Graycar and P. Grabosky (Eds.) The Cambridge Handbook of Australian Criminology. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press. Pp. 52-72.

    Haggerty, K. D. and Ericson, R. V. (2000), The surveillant assemblage. The British Journal of Sociology, 51: 605–622.


    Week 06 Transnational crime and (in)security

    Bigo, Didier (2004) ‘Global (In)security: The Field of the Professionals of Unease Management and the Ban-opticon’, in Jon Solomon and Sakai Naoki (Eds) Traces: A Multilingual Series of Cultural Theory, No. 4 (Sovereign Police, Global Complicity). Hong Kong: University of Hong Kong Press. Pp 5-49. [Extract]
    The language is often complex, but try to focus on the main ideas rather than the details.

    Goldsmith, A.J. (2012). Crimes across borders. In M Marmo, W de Lint & D Palmer, ed. Crime and Justice: A guide to criminology. 4th ed. Sydney, NSW: Thomson Reuters, pp. 275-302.
     
     
    Week 07 Surveillance, media and crime

    Doyle, A. (2011), ‘Revisiting the Synopticon: Reconsidering Mathiesen’s ‘The Viewer Society’ in the Age of Web 2.0’, Theoretical Criminology, 15: 283–99.

    McCahill, M. (2012) Crime, surveillance and media. In K. Ball, K. Haggerty & D. Lyon (Eds.) Routledge Handbook of Surveillance Studies. New York: Routledge. Pp 244-50.


    Week 08 Crime and the rise of the surveillance school

    Hope, A. (2015) Governmentality and the 'selling' of school surveillance devices. The Sociological Review. 63(4), pp 840-857.

    O’Malley, P. (2013) Governmentality, In McLaughlin, E. and Muncie, J. (2013) (Third edition) The Sage Dictionary of Criminology. London: Sage. Pp 208-210.


    Week 09 Surveillance, power and social impacts

    Coleman, R. & MacCahill, M. (2011) Surveillance & Crime. London: Sage. Pp. 111-142.


    Week 10 Resistance, play and surveillance

    Gilliom, J. and Monaham, T. (2012) Everyday Resistance, In K. Ball, K. Haggerty & D. Lyon (Eds.) Routledge Handbook of Surveillance Studies. New York: Routledge. Pp 244-50.

    Marx, G. (2009). A Tack in the Shoe and Taking Off the Shoe: Neutralization and Counter-neutralization Dynamics. Surveillance and Society 6(3): 295-306.
    Week 11 Criminological futures, control and bodies caught in the net

    Hope, A. (In print) Biopower and school surveillance technologies 2.0. The British Journal of Sociology of Education. Pre-print version available online at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01425692.2014.1001060#.VNlvbf6KCUk [Extract]

    Trottier, D. (2014) Crowdsourcing CCTV surveillance on the Internet, Information, Communication & Society, 17:5, 609-626.


    Week 12: No lectures or seminars. Complete assignment 03
     
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes

    No information currently available.

    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    WORKLOAD

    TOTAL HOURS

    1 x 1 hour lecture per week (x 12)

    12 hours

    1 x 2 hour seminar per week (x 12)

    24 hours

    1 x 4 hours reading (x 12)

    48 hours

    1 x 3 hours research per week (x 12)

    36 hours

    1 x 3 hours assignment preparation each week (x 12)

    36 hours

     

    Total = 156 hours

     

    Learning Activities Summary

    Week

    Lecture Topic

    Key Concepts

    1

    Waking up in a surveillance society

    Care and control

    Surveillance 2.0

    2

    Are prisons panoptic?

    Panopticism

    3*

    Watching the neighbours: crime prevention and community safety

    Post-panopticism

    Culture of control

     

    4

    The new penology and police surveillance

    The new penology

    Risk

    Dataveillance

     

    5*

    The security industry and the surveillance assemblage

    Surveillance assemblage

    Big data

    Data doubles

     

    6

    Transnational crime and (in)security

    The ban-opticon

    7

    Surveillance, media and crime

    Synopticism

    8

    Crime and the rise of the surveillance school

    Governmentality

    9

    Surveillance, power and social impacts

    New surveillance

    Power

    Light Touch surveillance

     

    10

    Resistance, play and surveillance

    Resistance

    Sousveillance

     

    11*

    Criminological futures, social control and bodies caught in the net

    Biopower

    Surveillance creep

    Panspectron

     

    12

    No lecture

    Focus on assignment 03.

     

     

  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary

     

    ASSESSMENT TASK

    TASK TYPE

    WEIGHTING

    COURSE LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

     

    Formative and Summative

    30%

    1, 5

    Formative and Summative

    30%

    1, 2, 5

     

    Formative and Summative

    40%

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

     

    Assessment Detail
    Assignment 1: Short essay - 30% weighting.

    This assignment is a short essay of 1000 words. 


    Assignment 2: Group presentation - 20% weighting.

    Group Presentations will occur in the regularly timetabled seminar slots. Each group will present for 10-12 minutes.
    Each member of the group must take part in the presentation. The group will be given a single combined mark for their presentation.

     
    Assignment 3: Individual Report - 40% weighting.
     
    Individual written report of 2000 words in length.


    Assignment 4: Seminar Participation - 10% weighting.

    Students are required to attend and actively participate in weekly seminars.
    Submission
    All assignments are to be submitted online via MyUni.

    For instructions on submitting your assignment file to MyUni for marking, please see http://www.adelaide.edu.au/myuni/tutorials/content/Assignment_-_Submit_an_Assignment__as_a_student_.html
    For more assistance on submitting your assignment file to MyUni, please telephone the Service Desk on 831 33000, 9 am – 5 pm, Monday to Friday or email servicedesk@adelaide.edu.au
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

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    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

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  • Policies & Guidelines
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