SOCY 1714 Consumer Culture: Past, Present, and Sustainable Futures
This is a Complex Problem course and is open to FRESHMEN only. You must take both SOCY1714 and HIST1717. Although we are increasingly aware that our habits of consumption affect the environment, it is hard to imagine that consuming patterns can be changed. In this course, students will learn that practices of consumption are both socially and historically constructed, that they change dramatically over time, and that there are (and always have been) urgent moral issues connected to these ways of life. We will explore the global, social, and environmental dimensions of consumption, studying things like the 1897 Sears catalog, 1950s television shows, Canada Goose jackets, DIY manuals and makerspaces, and hippy cookbooks of the 1960s.
Course overview
- Department
- Sociology
- School
- MCAS
- Credits
- 6
- Level
- Undergraduate
- Offered
- Periodically in the Spring
Catalog details
- Satisfies core
- Cultural Diversity,Social Science,History II
Requirements fulfilled
- Applied Psychology and Human Development: Major electives — any Psychology (PSYC) or Sociology (SOCY) course (no more than two electives from outside LSEHD) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
- Sociology: Sociology electives (18 credits, generally six courses) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
- University Core: Cultural Diversity (All undergraduates)
- University Core: History II (All undergraduates)
- University Core: Social Science (All undergraduates)
Course evaluations
- Course rating
- 4.45 / 5 · Very Good
- Instructor rating
- 4.36 / 5 · Very Good
- Terms evaluated
- 1
| Term | Instructor | Course overall | Instructor overall | Well organized | Clear learning objectives | Intellectually challenging | Helpful assignments | Applicable beyond course | Attendance necessary | Weekly effort | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2025 | Ethan Tupelo | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 1–3 hrs/week | 52 of 58 |
| Spring 2025 | Juliet Schor | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 1–3 hrs/week | 52 of 58 |
Data freshness
Instructors
Sections
- Section 01
- Section 02
- Section 03
- Section 04
- Section 05
- Section 06