LST 514 - Body and Emotion in Consumer Culture

This course will begin with an exploration of the development of consumer culture in the U.S., with an emphasis on the features and consequences of the rapid expansion of consumerism as a way of life in the post-World War II period. We will focus on how our emotions and bodies have been central to the marketing of goods and services in consumer culture. Our analysis will include discussion of the role of race, gender, sexuality and other social categories of difference in shaping the body and emotion in a consumer capitalist culture. We will also consider the global reach of American consumer culture.

Credits: 3