Exploring Beyond My Major
This past semester, I took a class called “CS Special Topics: Surveillance: Data and Power,” solely because it had no requirements and counted for a math credit. It was late August, and my friend Lillian and I were stressing about finishing our math distribution requirements without having to take “serious math.” She told me she found an obscure computer science class that counted as a math credit, so we decided to sign up together; little did I know that this course would become one of my favorite courses I have taken thus far at Tufts.
I walked into the first day of what I now call “surveillance class” not knowing what to expect. I had never taken a computer science class in my life, but the topic of surveillance sounded interesting and, I’m not going to lie, I needed a math credit, badly. I was greeted by the friendly face of my professor Nick Rabb, a Ph.D. candidate here at Tufts. As soon as we began our first class discussion, I knew this class was not going to be anything like I had thought it would be.
Before taking the class, I truly did not understand what surveillance was. I thought surveillance was simply the video cameras that record you in CVS and other stores, but after taking this class, I’ve learned how prevalent surveillance is in almost every aspect of technology in our society today.
Our class discussions ranged from topics of surveillance in the workplace in companies like Amazon, to the surveillance of Black people in the 1800s through lantern laws. We not only learned about different surveillance measures, but we also learned about the resistance to such measures and how we as individuals can help with issues of surveillance in our society.
For our mid-semester project, my group and I researched Knightscope-5, a new police robot patrolling the subways of New York City. Through this project, I was able to learn about new surveillance technology as well as the social implications of having such a technology.
For the final project, my group and I decided to tackle something we all love and use every day: Spotify. Spotify, though it may not seem like it, actually uses many forms of surveillance. It was very interesting to see how something I use every day and something most people wouldn’t consider to be surveillance uses this technology to “enhance” the experience of its users, or so it claims.
Though taking this class began simply out of the need for a math credit, I was able to learn so much about surveillance, technology, and how each affects and shapes our society today. Through this class, I was also able to form and deepen connections with other students in the school of engineering and/or in STEM fields whom I would not have normally interacted with. This class helped reaffirm why I chose to go to a school with a liberal arts curriculum: to broaden my understanding of many different fields of study and to connect with people whose interests may differ from mine, yet we are still able to find common ground.
*Feature image: myself and my classmates presenting our final project.