ACR304 - Surveillance and Social Justice
Unit details
| Year | 2025 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 1: Mark Wood |
| Prerequisite: | Students must complete 4 credit points at any level |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | ACR210 |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment: | 5 x 1-hour on-campus lecture per trimester in weeks TBA 5 x 2-hour on-campus seminar per trimester in weeks TBA |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | 5 x 1-hour online lecture per trimester in weeks TBA (recordings provided) 5 x 2-hour online seminar per trimester in weeks TBA |
| Typical study commitment: | Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site. |
Content
This unit examines surveillance and social justice across 5 modules. It begins by examining theoretical understandings of surveillance and applies these in various spheres of society such as policing, the border, educational institutions, workplaces, public places, and the home and domestic contexts. It moves on to explore forms of marginalising surveillance and considers issues of social and data justice, including surveillance and race, welfare recipients, refugees, surveillance in the global south, gender, and family violence. Various perspectives on marginalising surveillance are explored via in-depth case studies that highlight the impacts on vulnerable and marginalised groups and individuals. The impacts of surveillance for human rights and democratic freedoms including the rule of law and the freedom of the press are then described. The unit concludes by exploring what can be done to resist surveillance through advocacy, activism, infrapolitics, obfuscation and sousveillance.
Learning Outcomes
| ULO | These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) |
|---|---|---|
| ULO1 | Describe and evaluate the ways in which surveillance practices are shaping criminal justice practices | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO2: Communication GLO4: Critical thinking |
| ULO2 | Assess criminological frameworks for understanding and responding to changing surveillance practices, including socio-legal research and policy analysis, and the analysis of detailed case studies | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO4: Critical thinking GLO5: Problem solving GLO6: Self-management |
| ULO3 | Examine the role of surveillance as a means of ordering social relations and critically analyse the complex interactions between legal, security, and law enforcement actors in the deployment of surveillance | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO4: Critical thinking GLO5: Problem solving |
| ULO4 | Critically analyse conceptual and practical issues related to surveillance practices, the reshaping of privacy and civil liberties and the political, legal and social implications of the use of surveillance technologies | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO2: Communication GLO4: Critical thinking GLO5: Problem solving |
These Unit Learning Outcomes are applicable for all teaching periods throughout the year.
Assessment
| Assessment Description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1: Online exercise | 1000 words or equivalent | 25% | Information not yet available |
| Assessment 2: Online exercise | 1000 words or equivalent | 25% | Information not yet available |
| Assessment 3: Essay | 2000 words or equivalent | 50% | Information not yet available |
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Learning resource
The texts and reading list for ACR304 can be found via the University Library.
Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.
Unit Fee Information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.