Hide Advanced Options
Courses - Spring 2025
HNUH
University Honors
Open Seats as of
11/22/2024 at 10:30 PM
HNUH238O
Surveillance, Technology, and the "Death" of Privacy
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F
In 1949, when George Orwell published "1984," few imagined how much the future would resemble the fictional surveillance state he depicted in his novel. Yet, 75 years later, surveillance technologies have not ceased to expand thanks to advances in computing and big data. We are at a point where many decry the "end of privacy," a world sketched with frightening detail in the popular Netflix series "Black Mirror." Are we destined to live in a dystopia like those described in popular science fiction books and films, or can we take steps now to ensure that privacy does not fall into oblivion? This course traces the rise of surveillance technologies used in homes, schools, workplaces, and everywhere in between to understand how we got here and where we are headed. Students will explore various framings of surveillance in Western culture, critically assess the challenges surveillance technology raises for vulnerable populations, and explore ways to stop the seemingly inevitable push toward a society without privacy.
HNUH238O is part of the Surveillance thematic cluster and pairs with HNUH238C to complete the cluster. Surveillance courses will be offered through Spring 2026.