The aims of the course are

- to offers advanced theoretical tools for the understanding of contemporary consumption meanings and practices

- to offers advanced theoretical tools and methods for the analysis of the changing relationship between brands and consumers as active producers of brands contents and meanings

- to offers advanced theoretical and practical tools and methods for the analysis of consumption practices in order to support an effective design of communication campaigns.

1. The study of consumption as social and cultural practice (theories and scholars in the field of consumption studies).

2. Prosumption, tactics and critical consumption practices.

3. The ethnography of consumption practices. Methods and case studies.

4. Workshop of research on the consumption practices aimed at support the design of communication campaigns: city bike cultures and veg food practices.

1. Knowledge and understanding

Students have to reach knowledge and understanding of social processes and consumption practices, and of advanced forms of communication, with particular attention to media convergence and users participation to content production, processes that are changing the relation between consumption and production.

Students reach this knowledge attending lectures and practical classes, participating to exercises leaded by the teacher,  and studying textbooks, and trough the active participation to the practical research workshop on consumption practices.

2. Applying knowledge and understanding

Students have to reach skills in applying the methods of analysis of cultural and consumption goods and practices and in applying knowledge and understanding of consumption in the design of communication campaign and advertising they should be able to present their solution to a communication problem concerning a specific group of consumers.

Students reach these skills attending lectures and practical classes, participating to exercises leaded by the teacher, studying textbooks, and trough the active participation to the practical workshop on consumption practices.

3. Making informed judgements: students have to reach critical and informed judgements skills on consumption, its cultural meanings and practices, on the contradictions characterizing consumption, and on the relations between culture and consumption in contemporary societies.

Students reach this skills attending classes, participating to discussion with the teacher and other students in class, exercises and the practical workshop, and studying textbooks.

4. Communication skills: students should have skills in oral and written communication in Italian and English, should possess expression skills in Italian language and should master the lexicon of the discipline. Students reach these skills asking questions and participating to discussion with the teacher and other students during classes, writing a report on the research project work and organizing a oral presentation of their group project work.

5. Learning skills: students should possess learning skills for further study. Students strengthen these skills trough discussion with the teacher and other students during the lectures, exercises and the workshop and through argumentations of their answers to teacher questions, during lectures and practical classes, the team project work public presentation and the final examination.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

Lectures, exercitations, practical workshop on consumption research, focused seminars.

Attendance

The attendance of at least 3/4 of the hours of the class activities is mandatory.

Course books

1. The study of consumption

1) Sassatelli R., Consumo, cultura e società, il Mulino, Bologna 2004

2) Douglas M. e Isherwood B., Il mondo delle cose, Il Mulino, Bologna, vari anni (pp. 5-14, pp. 63-104).

3) de Certeau M., L’invenzione del quotidiano, Edizioni Lavoro Roma 2001, pp. 5-22 e 45-79.

2. Prosumption and critical consumption

Three articles among the followings:

a) Bartoletti R., L’efficacia simbolica delle cose: forma e significato dei rituali di consumo, in "Sociologia del lavoro", numero monografico “Dalla produzione al consumo”, a cura di V. Codeluppi e R. Paltrinieri, 2010 

b) Toffler A., L’avvento del prosumer, in La terza ondata, Sperling e Kupfer, pp. 340-370.

c)  Campbell C., The Craft Consumer: Culture, craft and consumption in a postmodern society, Journal of Consumer Culture, Nl. 5,  2005, pp. 23-42.

d) Bartoletti R., Il lato B della Barbie. La rivincita dei consumatori nel social web, in "Network effect", AAVV, Codice, Genova, 2009.

e) Bartoletti R., Pratiche di consumo e civic engagement: il consumo impegnato di natura in città, in Comunicazione e civic engagement. Media, spazi pubblici e nuovi processi di partecipazione, a cura di R. Bartoletti e F. Faccioli, FrancoAngeli, Milano 2013, pp. 201-222.

f) Giannini L., Verso un movimento di riparatori? Il tentativo di ricucire il rapporto tra produzione e consumo, Sociologia della comunicazione, n. 48, 2014, pp. 89-99.

f) Matherials distributed during the course.

Assessment

Oral exam and assessment of the research account on consumption practices.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Attendance

Course books

1. The study of consumption

1) Sassatelli R., Consumo, cultura e società, il Mulino, Bologna 2004

2) Douglas M. e Isherwood B., Il mondo delle cose, Il Mulino, Bologna, vari anni (pp. 5-14, pp. 63-104).

3) de Certeau M., L’invenzione del quotidiano, Edizioni Lavoro Roma 2001, pp. 5-22 e 45-79.

2. Prosumption and critical consumption

a) Bartoletti R., L’efficacia simbolica delle cose: forma e significato dei rituali di consumo, in "Sociologia del lavoro", numero monografico “Dalla produzione al consumo”, a cura di V. Codeluppi e R. Paltrinieri, 2010 

b) Toffler A., L’avvento del prosumer, in La terza ondata, Sperling e Kupfer, pp. 340-370.

c)  Campbell C., The Craft Consumer: Culture, craft and consumption in a postmodern society, Journal of Consumer Culture, Nl. 5,  2005, pp. 23-42.

d) Bartoletti R., Il lato B della Barbie. La rivincita dei consumatori nel social web, in "Network effect", AAVV, Codice, Genova, 2009.

e) Bartoletti R., Pratiche di consumo e civic engagement: il consumo impegnato di natura in città, in Comunicazione e civic engagement. Media, spazi pubblici e nuovi processi di partecipazione, a cura di R. Bartoletti e F. Faccioli, FrancoAngeli, Milano 2013, pp. 201-222.

f) Giannini L., Verso un movimento di riparatori? Il tentativo di ricucire il rapporto tra produzione e consumo, Sociologia della comunicazione, n. 48, 2014, pp. 89-99.

Assessment

Oral exam.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.