SOC 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 of emotion in a consumer

capitalist culture. We will also consider the

global reach of American consumer culture.