AP/HREQ 2440 6.00
Human Rights in the Age of Surveillance
This course explores the rise of the surveillance society in the 21st century from a critical human rights and equity perspective. Practices such as racial profiling, cyber tracking, international espionage, and government monitoring are examined, along with the consequences of surveillance for targeted communities.
The course begins with an exploration of early surveillance activity in Canada, including the monitoring of Indigenous peoples historically through the pass system and identity legislation. It examines the experiences of other targeted groups, including Communists in the early 20th century and gay and lesbian individuals in post-World War II Canada. In the present day, the course interrogates the wide reach of surveillance practices that manifest as racial profiling. Contemporary surveillance practices that take place in digital spaces will also be critically analyzed as invasions of privacy and human rights violations.
Key topics covered will include the relationship between surveillance and security, both at the level of the nation-state and in terms of individual citizens; the perceived trade-off between surveillance and privacy, including risks to freedom of expression under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms; and evidence of heightened surveillance activity targeted at specific racialized, religious, and gendered groups. Theoretical concepts including governmentality and moral regulation will contribute to our understanding of the relationship between surveillance and power.
Course Credit Exclusion: AP/HREQ 2000 6.00