Few aspects of 21st century public policy are as pressing as how to reconcile demands for law, order and public safety. There is a need to protect human rights and civil liberties in an age of global insecurity and uncertainty. The importance of these issues is reflected in the fact that virtually every UK University now administers over-subscribed criminology-related degree programmes. The growing popularity and expansion of criminology is the inevitable result of “if it bleeds, it leads” news fixation.

As part of its modernisation, criminology has initiated a variety of research specialisms that are currently reflected in a plethora of peer-review journals and international conferences. These include everything from research on ‘cops, courts and corrections’ to cybercrime, forensic science and global organised crime. Students wanting to study criminology at postgraduate level are faced with an array of course choices with different approaches, objectives and aspirations as the horizons of the criminological imagination continue to expand.

Surveillance can assist in improving everything from commercial innovation and workplace efficiency through to public health. Whilst there have been efforts to regulate new surveillance technologies we also have to understand surveillance as a cultural phenomenon, most notably in the rise of reality television.

The steady rise of surveillance has led it to become an integral part of society. Its growth and popularity affects us more and more. From CCTV cameras in the street to the way our data is analysed by supermarket chains in their efforts to sell us more and more of their produce, surveillance is now a part of 21st century life. Thus, it is vital that we analyse and understand surveillance in all its forms to understand its impact across all areas.

What does it mean to live in the surveillance society? City University London has launched an MA Surveillance Studies, which is the first of its kind. This pioneering and innovative degree has been designed to provide students with the knowledge and analytical skills to develop an in-depth understanding of substantive debates, methodological approaches and surveillance policies and practices in a variety of cultural and strategic domains. The programme is taught by experts in criminology, communications and media studies, human rights and international political science. It is ideally suited for students who wish to engage with cutting edge theoretical developments, critical research issues and key policy trends.

The programme aims to present knowledge of the most recent developments in surveillance studies. At the heart of the course will be an in-depth analysis and discussion of the key issues characterising the expansion of surveillance across the world today. Essentially, surveillance is an inter-disciplinary subject which demands analysis of many different academic strands, from politics to history, criminology to sociology. It must be considered in a globalised context, as surveillance is not only a feature in many countries, but across many countries as well.

Author:

Professor Eugene McLaughlin
School of Social Sciences
City University
Web: www.city.ac.uk/social
Email: socscipg@city.ac.uk