School of Sociology and Criminology  
 
 
SOC-30029 Gender and Consumption  
Co-ordinator: Dr Lydia Martens    Room: CBC0.018, Tel:34125  
Teaching Team: Ms Deborah  Tagg, Dr Andy  Zieleniec, Miss Jo-Anne  Watts, Miss Claire  Lewendon,  Garry  Crawford  
Lecture Time: See Timetable...  
Level: 3 Credits: 15 Study Hours: 150  
School Office:
 
 
 
Programme/Approved Electives for
Sociology Dual Honours (Level 3)
Sociology Major (Level 3)
Sociology Minor (Level 3)
Available as a Free Standing Elective
Yes
Barred Combinations
None

Prerequisites
None

Description

Consumption and consumer culture are salient facets of everyday life in affluent societies of the 21st century. Equally, gender is a ubiquitous dimension which shapes the social and culture world, and the subjectivities of individuals living within it.

This module examines the intersections and interconnections between consumption, consumer culture and gender, looking not only at how gender informs the organisation of markets, but also at how markets inform formulations of gender structure, gender culture and provides resources for gender performativity.

It does this by looking at a series of topics relating to the rise of an all-enveloping consumer culture in affluent societies during the 20th Century, with visits to the department store, a perusal of magazine contents and the formulation of advertisements. It also considers the domestic home as a place for the expression of domestic femininity through home related consumption.

It then turns its focus to contemporary topics, amongst which are a consideration of the consequences of commercialisation for intimate life, the interlinking of gender and class in consumption, and the ways in which consumer culture frames and offers resources for the enactment of gender amongst the young.
Aims
  • To provide students with a critical overview of theoretical debates in social and cultural studies of consumption and gender.
  • To introduce students to a range of substantive themes where gender, femininity, masculinity and consumption intersect and that allow students to appreciate relevant theoretical debates.
  • To develop student&©s understanding of the sociological, social and cultural dimensions of studies which focus on the interconnections between gender and consumption 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 poster preparation in which students may develop their skills of scholarly discussion and exposition of complex ideas.
Intended Learning Outcomes
  • Assess key concepts in social and cultural theories of consumption and gender critically, and evaluate conceptual intersections between consumption and gender
  • Apply effective analytical and expositional skills and generate independent judgments about the strengths and weaknesses of social and cultural discourses on consumption and gender, including where these intersect
  • Evaluate the sociological dimensions of social and cultural theories of consumer and gender culture, and to generate theoretically informed questions about this facet of the social and cultural world
  • Create clear arguments, linking discursive and visual representation, to demonstrate the salience of gender in consumption practices and consumer culture, and of consumption practices in social and cultural gender processes
Study hours
20 contact hours (2 hour weekly seminars)
60 hours of tutorial preparation
70 hours assessment preparation
TOTAL 150 HOURS
Description of Module Assessment
01: Reflective Diary weighted 50%
Reflective biographical diary - 2500 words
Students submit a reflective biographical account connecting consumption and gender, and which is fully contextualised within scholarly debate and visually annotated.
02: 2 Hour Exam weighted 50%
2 hour seen exam
Students complete a 2 hour seen exam, answering two questions from a list
Version: (1.06B) Updated: 03/Mar/2013

This document is the definitive current source of information about this module and supersedes any other information.