For attending students (onsite or online) please read carefully this massage [HERE]
Master’s Course in Sociology and social research – University of Trento
Culture and Lifestyles – Prof. Francesca Forno
Office hours [HERE]
The course discusses the major social, cultural and economic changes of contemporary societies through the analysis of shifts occurred in consumption patterns and practices. The main objective of this course is to provide an advanced introduction to consumer theory and the (interdisciplinary) field of consumption studies (read more….)
Class time and location
| Time | Room | |
| Monday | 14-16 | tbc |
| Tuesday | 14-16 | tbc |
Class schedule
Part I: Introduction
| MON_14-9 | Introduction and course overview | 2 |
| Warde, A. (2015) “The Sociology of Consumption: Its Recent Development” Annual Review of Sociology 41: 117–34 [On line at UniTN Library catalogue]. | ||
| TUE_15-9 | Production and consumption, economy and culture: a beginning of a conversation | 4 |
| Zukin S. and Smith Maguire J. (2004) “Consumers and Consumption” Annual Review of Sociology Vol. 30: 173-19 [On line at UniTN Library catalogue]. Storey J., Ch. 8: “Consumerism and Consumer Society” pp. 103-116 | ||
| MON_21-9 | Why we consume (as we do) | 6 |
| Storey J., Ch. 1: “Why we consume” pp. 1-17 Storey J., Ch. 2: “Consumption as manipulation” pp. 19-33 Storey J., Ch. 3: “Consumption as social communication” pp. 35-45 | ||
| TUE_22-9 | Market fragmentation and Consumer culture | 8 |
| Stillerman J., Ch. 2: “Marketing and Retail” pp. 20-50 Stillerman J, Ch. 3: “Market fragmentation and globalization” pp. 51-82 | ||
| MON_28-9 | Consumption and identity | 10 |
| Storey S., Ch. 7: “Consumption and Identity” pp. 87-102 |
Social differences and consumption
| TUE_29-9 | Consumption, status and class | 12 |
| Stillerman J., Ch. 4: “Consumption Status and Class” pp. 83-108 | ||
| MON_5-10 | Students-led presentation and class discussion | 14 |
| Dimaggio P and Useem M (1978) “Social Class and Arts Consumption: The Origins and Consequences of Class Differences in Exposure to the Arts in America”, Theory and Society, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 141-161 | ||
TUE_6-10 | Consumption, gender and race | 16 |
| Stillerman J., Ch. 5: “Gender and Race at the Margins and Center of Consumption” pp. 109-141 | ||
MON_12-10 | Students-led presentation and class discussion | 18 |
| Fischer E. and Arnold S. J. (1990) “More Than a Labor of Love: Gender Roles and Christmas Gift Shopping”, Journal of Consumer Research Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 333-345 [On line at UniTN Library catalogue]. | ||
| TUE_13-10 | Consumption and life course | 20 |
| Stillerman J., Ch. 6: “The Life Course” pp. 142-162 |
| MON_19-10 | Students-led presentation and class discussion | 22 |
| Schor, J. B (2003)“The Commodification of Childhood. Tales From The Advertising Front Lines” in The Hedgehog Review – Volume 5, No. 2 pp. 7-23 [On line at UniTN Library catalogue]. | ||
| TUE_20-10 | Recap and going forward | 24 |
| Stillerman J., Ch. 8: “Consumer Citizenship in the Era of Globalization” pp.174-187 |
Part II: Consumer society and its consequences
| MON_26-10 | Documentary and discussion | 26 |
| The True Cost – 2015 documentary film focusing on fast fashion and discussing several aspects of the global garment industry. | ||
| TUE_27-10 | Consumption, economic growth and well being | 28 |
| Smart, B. (2012) Consumer Society: Critical Issues and Environmental Consequences. London: Sage (Chapter 6 and 7: Consequences of Consumerism) [available on Moodle] | ||
| TUE_3-11 | The concept of Sustainable development | 30 |
| Klarin, T. (2018) “The Concept of Sustainable Development: From its Beginning to the Contemporary Issues”. Zagreb International Review of Economics & Business, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 67-94 [available on Moodle] | ||
| MON_9-11 | Policy and governance for sustainable consumption | 32 |
| Margit Keller M. Bente Halkier B. and Wilska T.A. (2016) “Policy and Governance for Sustainable Consumption at the Crossroads of Theories and Concepts” Environmental Policy and Governance, Volume26, Issue2: 75-88 |
Part III: Grassroots responses to sustainability challenges
| TUE_10-11 | Political consumerism | 34 |
| Stolle D. and Micheletti M. (2013) Political Consumerism: Global Responsibility in Action, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (Chapters 1 and 2) [available on Moodle]. | ||
| MON_16-11 | Students-led presentation and class discussion | 36 |
| Stolle D., Hooghe M. and Micheletti M. (2005) Politics in the Supermarket: Political Consumerism as a Form of Political Participation. International Political Science Review / Revue internationale de science politique, Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 245-269 |
| TUE_24-11 | From individual to collective forms of political consumerism | 38 |
| Forno, F., & Graziano, P. R. (2014). “Sustainable community movement organisations”. Journal of Consumer Culture, 14(2), 139–157. | ||
MON_30-11 | Students-led presentation and class discussion | 40 |
| Schlosberg, D. (2019) “From postmaterialism to sustainable materialism: the environmental politics of practice-based movements”, Environemntal Politics [On line at UniTN Library catalogue]. | ||
| TUE_1-12 | Recap and preparation for the final workshop | 42 |
Part IV: Final workshop
| THUR_10-12 | Course project presentations (ALL DAY!) | 48 |
> Previous years final workshops!
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