Foucault's work describes the small and often unrecognized ways in which power shapes our ways of thinking by controlling our bodies. By "discipline," he refers to a mode of knowledge which employs techniques to control and regulate bodily movements. Such techniques are most obviously present in such institutions as mental hospitals, schools, military camps, prisons, and factories.

This assignment asks you to explore the significance of techniques of bodily control by considering the way a specific setting shapes the movements of the people within it. What relations of power do you think are involved? How do they differ from those described by Foucault, and how do you evaluate his arguments as a result of your findings?

HINTS: There are many possible settings: a workplace, a store, a school, a dining hall, a community center, a government office, a gymnasium, or a library. As a first step, you should diagram or describe in detail the physical structures of your chosen location: doors, windows, counters, walls, partitions, lights, tables, etc. Then observe how people move through the space. Are there spaces that are off-limits to some? Why? How does the space imply a way of differentiating between and organizing people? How is access to the space obtained (not just physically, but in terms of privileges, membership in a community, etc.) How are the activities which occur within that space directed? Are individuals working together collectively, in smaller groups, or alone? What are they doing, what kinds of motions are involved, and how do these seem shaped by the space or by the individuals who seem to manage the space? Are there individuals or groups who seem to be doing something different from what the space or its creators intend? Your paper should include a diagram of the space.