Modern Society
Michel Foucault argued that modern society functions like a panopticon. According to Foucault, modern society created a number of disciplinary methods that are designed to ensure social order and stability. As warned by Foucault, these methods are harmful to citizens since it makes them docile or compliant/submissive. With this in mind, Imagine you are Dr. Money in the last years of his life. In a final diary entry in which you reflect on the Reimer case and other moments in American history, do one of the following: Silence your critics by arguing that a panopticon is necessary and/or beneficial since it creates an orderly, safe and ultimately better society for all citizens. Or show your remorse and argue that a panopticon is dangerous since it either creates more disorder and/or creates a harmful and dangerous society for all citizens. Or explain in your diary that a panopticon can be both helpful and harmful, depending on the specific type of panopticon at work and/or the specific ways in which the panopticon exerts power. In your conclusion, briefly state how you would like to be remembered by those reading your diary in the future.
Your essay should answer the prompt question using evidence from the following 8 sources:
- As Nature Made Him
- One article from Week 2
- One article from Week 3
- One article from Week 4
- One article from Week 5
- One article from Week 7
- One podcast from Weeks 1-7 AND one film from Weeks 1-7
By evidence, I mean that you will need to use details/examples from the book, articles and film to prove your argument in the essay. You should think like a lawyer and ask yourself, “How does the article, film, podcast or book support the argument I am trying to make in this essay?” or What examples from the source show my argument in this essay to be true?î
Although this follows a diary format, you should use a formal essay style with a clear thesis, body and conclusion. You only need to insert a Dear Diary at the beginning of your essay to make it look/sound like a diary entry. You can either make your essay one long diary entry, or even create multiple diary entries. In either case, make sure that your first paragraph (or entry) functions as your introduction, where you state your thesis.
I would also recommend that you devote a paragraph to each source (rather than grouping sources together in one or multiple sources). This gives more overall clarity to the essay and helps you visually see whether you have enough detail and analysis in each source. (So, for the purpose of this essay, you might have an introduction paragraph, followed by 8 paragraphs and a conclusion paragraph).
Sample:
Dear Diary,
Yes, it’s me again, John. In the final days of my life, I’ve been reflecting a lot on my famous case. I am still firm in my conviction that a panopticon is necessary since it creates an orderly society. We can see the benefits a panopticon has had in a lot of cases and topics in American history, such as menstruation, 2 spirits, gender identity disorder, body projects, intersexuality and of course, my famous case. I hope to use this diary to prove to the world that the panopticon has benefitted people in every one of these situations.
Tips/Suggestions:
I encourage you to write as you speak! (There’s nothing worse than using vocabulary that you’re not totally familiar with!) As in my on-campus classes, I also allow students to use “salty” language if needed to get your point across! Also feel free to get into “character” here. You are writing your essay from the perspective of someone else, so feel free to speak as this person might speak.
Formatting Requirements: I don’t have a minimum number of pages for this exam. However, your exam should definitely not exceed 9 pages. (Exams usually average 5-8 pages). Your essay must be double-spaced. You must use Arial, 12-point font.
You do not need to use footnotes or endnotes. You do not need a works cited page.
Your first reference to an essay or film should merely include the name of the author and the title of the article, or the name or the film. (For example, a paragraph might begin: The article, Survival of the Prettiest by Nancy Etcoff proves my thesis.) Subsequent references to an article can merely use the author’s last name.
You do not have to quote directly from the material. However, if you do choose to quote directly from the material, you must provide a page citation in your essay. This citation should include the author’s last name and the page, as in the following example (Perez, 12).
Grading:
This portion of the midterm is worth 60 points. I will grade your essays for the following:
If Essay Meets Requirements To receive a passing grade you must have all 8 source requirements and meet the creative requirement of the exam (writing as Dr. Money)
Persuasiveness/Evidence (how well you create a compelling case using evidence/examples from the sources)
Analysis/Critique (how well you analyze the material as opposed to simply telling me what happened in the sources)
Organization (how smoothly/logically your essay flows, whether you subject each source to the same degree of analysis, ease of understanding your essay)
Grammar/Spelling (you have access to spellcheck and grammar check, you definitely want to use both and proofread before uploading! I will deduct points for issues with
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