MICHEL FOUCAULT, info.

Zero B schreef:

> Hi, my name is Marc Beerline and I am a senior at TunderRidge High 
> School, a suburb of Denver. As a graduation requirement, we are 
> required to do a "senior project"; in most cases, this project is a 
> horse-and-show type of project where most students are awarded 
> enthuastic A's for projects like "rebuilding my Mustang". I'm looking 
> to do a Foucaultian critique of the public education system, in 
> particular, the  Power/Knowledge relationship within public 
> schools--espeically with the pressures of standardized tests and the 
> No Child Left Behind Act, either that or a cultural critique of 
> American taboo. My only fear, unfortunately is that those on the board 
> will not understand the significance of what I am researching, 
> especially in terms of what the 'standards' of the project itself are. 
> I am also struggling with how I could present this in some sort of 
> presentation with something physcially tangible, as it is a 
> requirement for the project. I do see the irony in my proposal ! and 
> dillema. I also need help with the specificity with what I am 
> researching and how I am to go about doing it. Any suggestions would 
> be great. Sorry, that was far from coherent.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Marc,
you could start with reading Discipline and Punishment and show that the school is a real and virtual panopticon, because everything has to be obeserved and judged. Then you could elaborate on the importance of the list, and the dossier, the portfolio or waht you call it, as a pass for future education or a job. Yuo could also study the reaction of students caused by the feeling of being watched and the different disicplinairy measures as kicking out or enclosing in hte system.

Erik


www.xs4all.nl/~jehms