1. What is the surveillant assemblage and is it better or worse than ‘Big Brother’? Critically discuss this using theories and concepts covered in the module. You will find the article by Haggerty and Ericson on SY6012’s Moodle site about the Surveillant Assemblage essential reading for this, however, do not only rely on that, you need wider and more varied sources for a good essay.
2. To what extent did 9/11 contribute to increased surveillance? Explain how intensification of surveillance came about giving examples. See Lyon, (2003) Surveillance after September 11th as a starting point.
3. Are there ways in which the Coronavirus pandemic has led to increased surveillance? Give examples and discuss why you think people would accept such surveillance and whether there is any resistance to it. Give examples such as Track and Trace, the boom in cashless payments and travel bans.
4. How far is ‘new’ surveillance different to ‘traditional’ surveillance; and in what ways? Use theories and concepts covered in the module and give examples of new surveillance.
5. Describe the panopticon and how it functions. Can it still be as an adequate way of understanding contemporary surveillance?
6. Does increasingly automated surveillance lead to social sorting? Explain what social sorting is and how surveillance can be automated. What issues does that raise and give examples.
