Undergraduate Module Descriptor

SOC2110: Consumption and Society

This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.

Module Aims

This module will provide you with an understanding of a distinctive characteristic of developed capitalist societies, namely the central role that consumption plays in the reproduction of social class and the construction of individual identities. The module will enable you to analyse and interpret the ways that consumption itself and the discourse of consumerism pervade all aspects of contemporary social life.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. Demonstrate competence in working with diverse theoretical and empirical approaches to consumerism; 2. Demonstrate knowledge of some of the recent developments in the world consumption from a sociological and/or social anthropological perspective; 3. Demonstrate a foundational understanding of how subjectivities are constructed through and performed in consumption;
Discipline-Specific Skills	4. Demonstrate an analytical understanding of Sociology and/or Anthropology, taking into account different sociological and anthropological perspectives, some modes of social analysis and some of their concomitant theoretical and conceptual frameworks; 5. Demonstrate a foundational ability to conceptualise social, cultural, psychological and personal issues in a specifically sociological and/or anthropological manner;
Personal and Key Skills	6. Develop and deploy argument, grounded in theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence; 7. Identify problems of reliability and bias in empirical evidence; 8. Demonstrate a capacity to focus on and comprehend complex texts, and identify problems of reliability in empirical evidence 9. Participate in oral discussions with growing confidence and competence; 10. Undertake independent research and capacity to work to deadlines;

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

The rise of consumer culture
Consumption as distinction
Consumption and the self
Sites of consumption
Advertising
Consumption and the environment
Anti-consumerism/alternative consumption

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
24	126	0

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	22	11 x 2 hour lecture/seminars will consist of a lecture element introducing key theories and issues and a seminar element
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	2	Examination revision session
Guided Independent Study	36	Readings for seminars
Guided Independent Study	10	Preparation for seminar presentation
Guided Independent Study	40	Researching and writing the essay
Guided Independent Study	40	Readings and revisions for examinations

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).