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SOC-20036 - Module Specification
School of Social Sciences
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

For academic year: 2024/25 Last Updated: 15 May 2024

SOC-20036 - Cultures of Consumption
Coordinator: Rebecca Leach Room: CBA0.017 Tel: +44 1782 7 33359
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 5
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office:

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None


Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2024/25

What does it mean to be a 'consumer' in the 21st century? We are used to the notion of shopping to meet our needs but the idea of a 'consumer culture' stretches much wider than this. Are we primarily consumers in the sense that consumption dominates all or almost all of our cultural, social and civic beliefs and practice? In other words, have we allowed consuming to become the most important social practice and identity? Can we still think of ourselves as 'workers', 'families', 'citizen'? In this module, we explore how consumption and consumer culture can be analysed sociologically. We begin to imagine the 'consumer' at the heart of the process, placing this in the context of historical and theoretical shifts in the relevance of consumer society. We explore some of the connected socio-political and ethical questions that frame our understanding of what people do when they consume, as well as offering up some critique of consumption as an ethical problem. The following issues might be discussed: The consumer: rational chooser, dupe or socially embedded agent?; Consumer citizens: anti-consumerism and green ethics; Does class matter anymore? Cultural capital and consumption; What does it mean to be an 'ordinary' consumer?; 'Material culture': the meaning of things; Global branding; New consumer cultures.

Aims
To provide students with a critical overview of major theoretical debates in social and cultural approaches to consumption and consumer culture and to highlight the sociological contribution made to them;
To introduce students to a range of substantive themes in the sociology of consumption and consumer culture that address important historical and contemporary social, cultural, ethical and political issues, and that allow students to appreciate relevant theoretical debates;
To develop students' understandings of the sociological, social and cultural dimensions of theories of consumer culture in a range of teaching and learning contexts;
To enhance students' ability to link concepts and evidence in social science within a broadly comparative and historical framework;
To provide opportunities through seminar discussion and essay preparation in which students may develop their skills of group work, scholarly discussion and exposition of complex ideas.

Talis Aspire Reading List
Any reading lists will be provided by the start of the course.
http://lists.lib.keele.ac.uk/modules/soc-20036/lists

Intended Learning Outcomes

Recognise and describe key debates in the sociology of consumption and consumer culture.: 1,2
Identify and understand some of the connections between empirical sociological examples/evidence, and critical social theory relating to consumer/material culture, and the sociology of consumption more generally.: 1,2
Apply theoretical knowledge from more than one debate within the sociology of consumption/consumer cultures field to a chosen exemplar.: 1,2
Use skills of analysis and explanation in showing an understanding of how the idea of consumption is considered as a sociological concern.: 1,2
Evaluate different sociological positions on consumption and consumer/material cultures.: 1,2
Appraise feedback and develop thinking/writing to expand core understanding and application of knowledge of sociology of consumption and consumer/material cultures.: 2
Develop skills of summarising complex ideas for a general audience, making direct connection between examples and sociologically relevant sources, and professional presentation.: 2

Study hours

Active learning:
22 contact hours
4 hours supervised study/guidance sessions
12 hours structured online activity
6 hours collaborative online discussion
Independent:
40 hours assessment preparation
48 hours reading for tutorial discussion
18 hours background reading

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Exercise weighted 30%
750 word plan for case study
Students complete a 750 word plan for the case study. This will include: 150 words - identification of topic/case - eg. consumer object, consumption process, cultural form. Students will choose their own, either from examples used in lectures/seminars or will propose an independent case. They will set out briefly the specific example, its scope and context. Up to 450 words (not including reference information) - students will provide an annotated bibliography of up to 10 sources FROM THE MODULE READING Iist which they will use to develop their case. For this part of the assessment they'll write a short paragraph summarising some of the key relevant points from each source. 150 words - students will write a closing section outlining how they'll continue to develop their case study.

2: Case Study weighted 70%
1750 word case study
Making use of their original assessment, feedback and their further research, students will submit a case study report. This will take the form of a professionally presented brief, written using and explaining academic sources alongside publicly available material which illustrates the case chosen. Students may use up to 1750 words = equivalent to 6-7 pages of double spaced text. They may choose to supplement this with 4-5 images (equivalent to 2 pages of text) which are essential to the analysis and are not simply more written words in graphic form. Key 'authentic' skills assessed will be set out in a rubric, with models/examples, and will include: using the module reading list explicitly; summary and synthesis of academic concepts, application to specific real-world/evidence-based example; communication of complex ideas for different audiences; professional presentation standards. Students will be encouraged to consider presenting their work at the Keele undergraduate conference.

Please note that for the 2022/23 Academic Year programmes may be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there may be some changes made to how modules are delivered and assessed. The latest information will be provided to you by your School in module handbooks. We endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes and details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/student-terms-and-conditions/

Last Updated: 15 May 2024