History and Anthropology of Consumption

2024/2025

Academic Year

ENG

Instruction in English

3

ECTS credits

Delivered at:

Department of History

Course type:

Elective course

When:

2 year, 2 module

Instructor

Platonova, Evgeniia

Course Syllabus

Abstract

This MA course delves into the multifaceted realms of consumption through the lenses of history and anthropology. Students will navigate through the historical trajectories of consumption, observing how societies in socialist and capitalist frameworks have produced, distributed, and consumed goods and services over time. They will be equipped to critically analyze consumer culture, assess its societal implications, and discern its role in shaping identities and social structures within varying economic systems. Engaging with key theoretical texts, empirical studies, visual materials, and case studies, students will be able to deepen their knowledge and critical thinking skills in analyzing consumption within diverse social and historical contexts.

Learning Objectives

• The aim of the course is to provide students with information about the modern theories of consumption and the changes in consumption practices over time

Expected Learning Outcomes

• - Know key theoretical perspectives and concepts of consumption - Gain an ability to use key approaches to consumption in their studies - Gain to ability to analyze academic texts and reports of humanities and socials sciences

Course Contents

• Introduction to history and anthropology of consumption
• Consumption and socialism. Inventing a socialist consumer
• Consumption, Identity and Gender
• Consumption, Technology and Comfort
• Consumption and Sustaniablity
• Consumption and Crisis

Assessment Elements

• Attendance and in-class participation
  Students are expected to attend all seminars and take active part in the discussion and demonstrate knowledge of the content of lectures and readings. The seminars are based on the given readings and additional materials provided by the lecturer in the class.
• Questions for in-class discussion
  Students are expected to prepare questions for discussion (3-5) once during the course (select any seminar except the first introductory one and final colloquium).
• Writing assignment
  The final assignment is a short research paper on a topic of the student’s choice. Students are expected to examine any topic that is related to consumption practices: it may be a part of their personal experience or a topic within their MA research. In this final paper, the students are expected to debate across materials and different approaches that have been covered in the course. The paper should be approx. 1500 words long.

Interim Assessment

• 2024/2025 2nd module
  0.3 * Attendance and in-class participation + 0.3 * Questions for in-class discussion + 0.4 * Writing assignment

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Рощина, Я. М. (2010). Sociology of consumption ; Социология потребления. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.DCEC73B8

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Evgenia Krasteva-Blagoeva. (2018). Approaching Consumer Culture : Global Flows and Local Contexts. Springer.

Authors

• PLATONOVA EVGENIYA SERGEEVNA
• LYUBAVINA SVETLANA VYACHESLAVOVNA