Queen s University Department of Sociology. SOCY430 Consumer Culture. Winter 2017 Course Outline

Transcription

1 Queen s University Department of Sociology SOCY430 Consumer Culture Winter 2017 Course Outline Class Time: Monday pm Location: M/C D326 Instructor: Dr Martin Hand Office: Mac-Corry D529 Office Hours: Fridays pm handm@queensu.ca Phone: ext RATIONALE AND DESCRIPTION The study of consumption is now central for understanding the dynamics of contemporary societies. The rise of a market society and a culture of consumerism are increasingly tangible topics at the present moment, whether in relation to protest, the inexhaustible world of consumer goods, environmental crises, or the financial crises of western economies. The point of this class is to help students connect these big issues with the rather ordinary and routine practices of consumption in daily life such as eating and drinking, traveling, being a tourist, using social media, shopping, and so on. Building on the introductory SOCY306 class, the course enables an advanced engagement with the major theories and empirical studies of consumer culture with emphasis upon the historical, socioeconomic, and cultural aspects of consumption in sociological context, enabling students to further pursue aspects of contemporary sociology in relation to a wide range of topics and issues. The course is in two parts. Firstly, we examine some different approaches to the study of culture and consumption, in the context of wider debates around modernity, post-modernity, visual, and material culture. This section will critically examine different conceptions of identity, lifestyle, freedom, choice, signification, and power. Secondly, we will develop some of these ideas by engaging with several cultures of consumption, orientated around food, technology, environment, identity, brands, bodies.

2 AIMS This course will introduce students to the idea that there are many cultures of consumption. Students will engage with historical and theoretical perspectives on consumption, and apply their knowledge to a critical examination of spaces and practices of consumption using a variety of methods. LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this course, students should have an appreciation of: The historical genesis of western consumerism; Several different approaches to the study of consumption, consumers, and commodities; How these approaches have been used to analyze specific consumption practices; Central debates about commodification and consumerism How to use visual methods in contemporary sociology ORGANIZATION AND ASSESSMENT The course will be a seminar course. Students are expected to complete the required reading provided before class and be able to discuss the ideas and issues in detail. Accordingly, a substantial portion of the marks will be assigned to effective seminar participation (i.e. not simply attendance and anecdotes). Assessment: Effective Seminar Participation: students will be expected to play a significant role in conducting the seminar through discussion and debate; Seminar Presentation: students will give an oral presentation in the second part of the course on one of the topics listed (in pairs); Photo Diary: students will produce a photo diary (with minimal explanatory notes) that captures and analyses key aspects of visual consumer culture, in consultation with the instructor (6 pages). Due 5 th February Final Paper: students will write an essay drawn from a list of circulated questions, or alternatively propose their own question in consultation with the instructor (12 pages). Due 13 th April More details on all assignments and due dates will be provided in the first session of the course.

3 MARK DISTRIBUTION Seminar Participation 20% Presentation 20% Photo Diary 20% Final Paper 40% GRADING All components of this course will receive numerical percentage marks. The final grade you receive for the course will be derived by converting your numerical course average to a letter grade according to Queen s Official Grade Conversion Scale: Queen s Official Grade Conversion Scale Grade A A A B B B C C C D D Numerical Course Average (Range) D F 49 and below SUBMISSION Assignments are to be submitted on OnQ. Extensions will be granted only in exceptional cases. Requests for extensions must be made prior to the due date and must be submitted in writing along with any relevant documentation. There will be a penalty of 5% per day on all late assignments.

4 ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Academic integrity is constituted by the five core fundamental values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility (see These values are central to the building, nurturing and sustaining of an academic community in which all members of the community will thrive. Adherence to the values expressed through academic integrity forms a foundation for the "freedom of inquiry and exchange of ideas" essential to the intellectual life of the University (see the Senate Report on Principles and Priorities l). Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the regulations concerning academic integrity and for ensuring that their assignments conform to the principles of academic integrity. Information on academic integrity is available in the Arts and Science Calendar (see Academic Regulation 1 on the Arts and Science website (see and from the instructor of this course. Departures from academic integrity include plagiarism, use of unauthorized materials, facilitation, forgery and falsification, and are antithetical to the development of an academic community at Queen's. Given the seriousness of these matters, actions which contravene the regulation on academic integrity carry sanctions that can range from a warning or the loss of grades on an assignment to the failure of a course to a requirement to withdraw from the university. READING AND OTHER RESOURCES The required readings will be available for you on OnQ. It is essential that you are familiar with them prior to each seminar. You will also be expected to use your initiative in seeking out additional scholarly and non-scholarly resources at this advanced level. See the OnQ page for additional suggestions available at the library.

5 COURSE STRUCTURE [1] 9 th Jan Introduction: Accounting for Consumer Culture PART ONE: UNDERSTANDING CULTURE AND CONSUMPTION [2] 16 th Jan Consumption, Consumerism, and Contemporary Culture Featherstone, M. (2007) Consumer Culture & Postmodernism. London: Sage. Chapter 2. Bauman, Z. (2007) Consuming Life. Cambridge: Polity. Chapter 1. [3] 23 rd Jan Visual Consumption, Postmodernity, and Visual Data Lury, C. (2011) Consumer Culture. Rutgers. Chapter 3. Campbell, C. (2005) The Craft Consumer: culture, craft and consumption in a postmodern society, Journal of Consumer Culture, Vol. 5(1): [4] 30 th Jan Ordinary Consumption and Material Culture Kopytoff, I. (1986) The Cultural Biography of Things: commoditization as process, in Appadurai, A. (ed.) The Social Life of Things. Cambridge: CUP. Miller, D. (2010) Stuff. Cambridge: Polity. Chapter 1: Why Clothing is Not Superficial. PART TWO: CULTURES OF CONSUMPTION [5] 6 th Feb Environment and Waste Smart, B. (2010) Consumer Society. London: Sage. Chapter 7. Southerton, D. Warde, A. Hand, M. (2004) The Limited Autonomy of the Consumer: challenging conceptualizations of sustainable consumption, in Southerton, D. et. al. (eds.) Sustainable

6 consumption: the implications of changing infrastructures of provision. Edward Elgar. [6] 13 th Feb Food and Eating Cairns, K. et. al. (2013) 'Feeding the "organic child": mothering through ethical consumption', Journal of Consumer Culture, Vol 13 (2). Warde, A. (2016) The Practice of Eating. Cambridge: Polity. Chapter 4 'Elementary Forms of Eating'. [7] 20 th Feb Week [8] 27 th Feb Technology, Time, and Movement Wajcman, J. (2008) Life in the fast lane? Towards a sociology of technology and time, British Journal of Sociology, Vol. 59(1): Southerton, D. (2009) Reordering Temporal Rhythms, in Shove, E. et. al. (eds.) Time, Consumption, and Everyday Life. Oxford: Berg. [9] 6 th March Brands, Mega-Events, and Theming Arvidsson, A. (2005) Brands: a critical perspective, Journal of Consumer Culture, Vol. 5 no Miles, S. (2010) Spaces for Consumption. London: Sage. Chapters 7 and 8. [10] 13 th March No Class

7 [11] 20 th March Identity and Belonging Lury, C. (2011) Consumer Culture. Rutgers. Chapter 8. Michael, J. (2013) It s really not hip to be a hipster: negotiating trends and authenticity in the cultural field, Journal of Consumer Culture, online 25 th June [12] 27 th March Consuming Bodies [13] 3 rd April Conclusion Crossley, N. (2006) In the Gym: motives, meaning and moral careers, Body & Society, Vol. 12(3): Race, K. (2012) Frequent Sipping : bottled water, the will to health, and the subject of hydration, Body & Society, Vol. 18(3&4): 72-98