The shape of modern society has been significantly determined by the rise of a mass consumption economy in the industrial age. In addition to recreating social life and economic systems, consumerism has dictated metropolitan development patterns and has reshaped global geography through its impacts on international trade and the natural environment. At the same time that the consumption economy has been instrumental to creating new landscapes – both spatial and cultural, it has also reinforced old patterns of social inequity and injustice. This class will investigate the development of our consumer society and explore the ethics of consumption by looking at how various consumer spaces and sectors reflect attitudes about gender, class and race while also paying attention to the environmental impacts of mass consumption. The class will be structured in three units: Unit 1 will trace the rise of consumer society in the United States. Unit 2 will examine the impacts of the globalization of consumer goods. Unit 3 will give students an opportunity to explore their own interests through a research project that will be shared with the class.

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