Overview
This week, we’re turning our attention to how systems of inequality are enforced through surveillance, policing, incarceration, and the regulation of visibility. Your visual journal will ask you to think critically about how marginalized communities are monitored and managed by institutions and technologies.
You’ll use Wakelet again to curate your journal; a reminder to label it our week or the topic, or something at least related to the week's materials. You are required to include at least 5 visuals, a written reflection that connects your visuals to the course content, and peer responses to at least two classmates. Be sure to read the instructions carefully. Incomplete work or missing components (like citations or course references) will affect your grade.
Curate at least 5 visuals that reflect themes of carcerality, surveillance, punishment, policing, visibility, erasure, or social control. You may include:
- Photos you take
- Screenshots from news articles or social media
- Memes, infographics, drawings, or digital art
- TikToks, headlines, or video clips
Be intentional in your selection. Each visual should help you think sociologically about this week’s topic. You must clearly label the source of each image. Did you take the photo? Find it in an article? What is the link? Always cite where the visual came from.
Your written component must connect your visuals to course materials and key concepts from the week. This is not just a description of your images—it is a space for analysis and reflection.
You are required to:
- Reference all of the different readings from this week; you can focus on one, but you should exemplify your understanding of the entire week's materials.
- Reference at least one video from this week; again, more than one will strengthen it, but there should at least be a conceptual component from the videos.
- Be sure to think about your visuals and discuss them sociologically.
- Be clear, analytical, and thoughtful in how you connect your visuals to broader systems of inequality
To guide your reflection, consider the following questions (note that you do not need to answer these, and instead I encourage you to use these just to guide your thought process):
- What systems of control are your visuals showing or suggesting?
- Who is being watched, policed, erased, or punished, and why?
- How do your visuals reflect broader power structures tied to race, class, gender, or colonial histories?
- What role does visibility or surveillance play in these systems?
- How do the videos challenge assumptions about neutrality in technology or punishment?
- Are there examples of resistance or refusal in the images you selected?
You may write one cohesive reflection or connect your ideas through shorter analyses tied to each image. Either is fine, as long as the total is around 350–400 words and uses course materials throughout.