SOC 2340 - Culture and Consumption

Spring. 3 credits. Student option grading.

M. Pirkey

This course explores how the goods and experiences we consume hold meaning within a culture and, as a result, affect our social lives. Readings and course discussion will focus on how consumption practices — what we consume and how we consume it — offer clues into our social position, communicate our values, identify those who are similar and those who are different from us, establish subcultural boundaries, and help us form and maintain social relationships. We will also discuss divesting practices — that is, getting rid of our stuff – and alternatives to consumerism such as anti-consumerism, post-consumerism, and prosumerism. The course will focus primarily on the culture of consumption in the United States, but integrates scholarship on other countries and geopolitical contexts when possible.