COMM 149F - Rhetoric of Ubiquitous Surveillance

	Dr. Andrew Wood Office: HGH 210; phone: (408) 924-5378 Andrew.Wood@sjsu.edu

Rhetoric of Ubiquitous Surveillance


"Wherever you are, you always have to work. There's never any excuse for idleness. There are also no wine-taverns, no ale-houses, no brothels, no opportunities for seduction, no secret meeting-places. Everyone has his eye on you, so you're practically forced to get on with your job, and make some proper use of your spare time." - Thomas More's Utopia

Overview

We study renaissance rhetoric, examining new tensions between governance and the emerging "individual" who struggles to reconcile the edicts of church and state with his conscience. Recalling Plato's communist regime, we explore Thomas More's utopian critique of the politics of his day, paying close attention to the physical and social mechanisms through which personal choice is moderated by social consensus.

Summary

Andrew Wood's summary of Thomas More's Utopia

Film Notes

A Man for All Seasons

Dr. Wood's Additional Resources

Of sheep pens and revolution

The risk of being heroes

Image Credit

Codex Arcadia [Tumblr]