TyG – Foucault – The Panoptic Classroom

As this blog is waaaay belated, I have the luxury of scanning back over other entries:

“On my honor, I have not given, nor received, nor witnessed any unauthorized assistance on this work.”

Uh-oh, did someone already discuss this angle of things? If so, am I in violation of the Rollins Academic Honor Code? What if the repetition is inadvertent or sub-conscious on my part; what if I simply don’t REMEMBER a point being made before me: am I still guilty? Dare I go on? Will I be pilloried for an innocent mistake?

George Orwell’s Big Brother, as was definitely mentioned before by ginny t, is certainly WATCHING all of us here at Rollins College.... every one of us has been forced into the position of “snitch” so as to uphold the “honor” of our illustrious academic institution.

Now, don’t misunderstand me; I believe the concept behind the AHC is commendable. But does it go over the edge in drafting all students into service for the hegemony? I, for one, was not offered a choice in this matter when I “signed up” – does this situation mirror that of working at a business that changes hands here in Florida, a Right to Work (right to be fired!) State – “either sign this new non-compete document, or hit the road, Jack”? Why can’t I simply promise to watch out for MYSELF, to not give or accept any “unauthorized assistance”? Who am I to judge what is or is not “authorized” in someone else’s behavior? More importantly, what about a paranoid and inexperienced zealot who brings havoc into my life by “witnessing” my “violation”? What about misinterpretation? Maybe I was asking someone for a date, or telling them their fly was open... do I now have to go through the embarrassment and aggravation of explaining my actions? Why can’t I simply be treated as the adult I am, and TRUSTED to do the RIGHT THING without copying a pledge onto every assignment?

We are presumed innocent in our society; this mandated “good citizenship” tilts the scale towards the presumption of guilt: we must all carefully scrutinize our neighbors, because we expect them to be doing wrong. This creates an unhealthy and paranoid environment – even if you know you’re not cheating, you must now take extra care not to cross the line into even the appearance of rule-breaking.

Michel Foucault is alive and well and directing traffic from the panoptic tower on Holt Avenue.