Consumer Culture: Past, Present and the Fate of the Planet

This is a Complex Problem course and is open to FRESHMEN only. You must take both SOCY1714 and HIST1717. Although we are increasingly aware that our habits of consumption affect the environment, it is hard to imagine that consuming patterns can be changed. In this course, students will learn that practices of consumption are both socially and historically constructed, that they change dramatically over time, and that there are (and always have been) urgent moral issues connected to these ways of life. We will explore the global, social, and environmental dimensions of consumption, studying things like the 1897 Sears catalog, 1950s television shows, Canada Goose jackets, DIY manuals and makerspaces, and hippy cookbooks of the 1960s.

Averages use numerical 1–5 ratings, including the ratings submitted with new anonymous reviews.

OrganizationHow well the course was organized

4.64 / 5

ChallengeHow intellectually challenging students found it

4.43 / 5

AttendanceHow necessary attendance was

4.38 / 5

AssignmentsHow helpful assignments were

4.50 / 5