Sylvia focuses on the impact of the "If You See Something, Say Something" advertising campaign in the New York City subway system. She demonstrates how ideas regarding security and terrorism are socially constructed; it shows how the narrative of the war on terrorism as a political project was linked to the narrative of a local urban security campaign. Her thesis suggests that this advertising campaign perpetuates the politics of fear connected to the greater war on terrorism and that this advertising campaign is a mechanism of social control. Sylvia's research draws upon and supports Michel Foucault's understanding of governmentality. Polly Sylvia is an Adjunct Professor at Baruch College. She received a doctorate in sociology from CUNY Graduate Center. Her research interests include theories of power, security, national identity, and democracy.