ASOK05248U Theories and analytical strategies in contemporary consumer society

Volume 2014/2015
Education
MA: Sociological Theory Courses
Content

The course will present a number of newer theories of the consumer society and discuss how these theories produce different forms of analytical strategies for researching society. Contemporary consumer society is very different than the consumer society that have seen grown forward in the post-world war period. Theories of the consumer society has earlier underlined how consumption became relevant as part of the construction of social identities in times where free-time and the (re)creative practices became more important. Such development has already been indicated by Max Weber and later strongly developed by Bourdieu with his focus on cultural capital. In the contemporary society consumption as phenomenon has however changed. The theories identify how we no longer only can identify  “consumption as choice” but face a situation where consumption can be seen as a pre-given situation that the individual must be able to navigate within. In using Zizeks words you, so to speak, need to enjoy! This means that sociology needs to reconstitute how concepts of consumption are central in the analysis of society.

However the different theories has various implications in terms of how they understand society ontologically and epistemologically. As such they can be used for producing very different analytical strategies. We will discuss these implications. As such the course aims at making the student not only able to understand the theories but also reflect upon how they can be used in empirical analysis.

Learning Outcome

As central learning outcome the students must gain knowledge of newer sociological theories of consumption. Further, they must be able to discuss how the theories can be used in empirical research and as such reflect upon how the theories can be part of an analytical strategy. The term paper must reflect these skills by discussion of a case. It is however not expected that the students collect empirical material and/or make analysis of such.   

The reading is yet to be decided. Expect to read (parts of) Featherstone’s “Consumer Culture & Postmodernism” and parts of Rojek’s “Cultural Studies”.

As the course will be tough in English the student must be able to speak, read and write in this language.
The course will be a combination of lectures and discussion. The teaching model will be as following. In the first week a theory will be presented followed by a workshop format the week after. In the workshop (second week) the analytical strategies will be discussed by looking into a concrete analysis. The students are asked to find and present these texts. The texts can be scientific papers and/or presentations of empirical cases. Halfway through the course students will be encouraged to start to write their papers and be asked to hand in a synopsis.
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BA-undergraduates from foreign countries can sign up for this course

Kurset fungerer også som liniefag for specialiseringsretningen: Kultursociologi
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Exam
  • 123,5
  • Exam Preparation
  • 123,5
  • Lectures
  • 28
  • Total
  • 275,0
Credit
10 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
Size: A Free written take-home essay of maximum 15 pages of 2400 characters each page (incl. spaces). If written by a group, the essay may be 50 % of 2400 characters each page longer per additional student.
Attention: When handing in as a group, the contribution of each student must be pointed out
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Exam period
Digital handing in essays This course has been chosen to be a pilot experiment and have digital exam for the winter exam 2014-15. Further instructions and guidance will be sent to the students very soon. Submission dates will be available on the homepage of Sociology
Criteria for exam assesment

See course aims