Friday, 15 January 2010

Task 3 - Essay Proposal

Provisional Essay Title:-

Using the theories of Michel Foucault, discuss one example from modern society that is, in your opinion, panoptic.

Main issues addressed by your essay and the thrust of your argument:-

Panopticism - explaination, identify religion as my example.
God is said to be omnisient - constantly monitoring our behavior.
No need for physical punishment - reliant upon the threat of the afterlife, heaven/hell.
The presence of God can never be proved or disproved - uncertainty creates 'docile bodies'
Religion is not forced upon us - we are raised to believe it is 100% natural, myth.
Constantly enforced through public holidays, iconography, symbolism.

What Visual Material will you look at?

Jeremy Bentham's design - The Panopticon.

What theoretical perspective/methodologies will you use?

Myth/Ideology/Panopticism

Which specific theorists/writers will you refer to?

Mainly the works of Foucault who originally developed the theory in his book Discipline and Punish.

Books/Articles/Resources Already Located:-
  • Foucault, M. (1975) „Panopticism‟ in Hall, S. and Evans, J. (1999) Visual Culture: the Reader. London, Sage Publications. (306.23)
  • Foucault, M. (1977) Discipline and Punish: the Birth of the Prison. Harmondsworth, Penguin. (306 FOU)
  • Horrocks, C. and Jevtic, A. (2004) Introducing Foucault. Cambridge, Icon Books. (306 FOU)

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