This course offers advanced theoretical and practical tools to comprehend modern consumption and the formalities and significance of consumer practices.

It provides advanced theoretical and methodological tools to grasp the relationship between production and consumption, as well as the connections between collaboration and critique.

1. The study of consumption as social and cultural practice

1.1. Classic and contemporary theorie,s  scholars and topics in the field of consumption studies.

1.2. Consumption adn crisis in Italy.

2. The research on consumption practices.

2.1 Methods

2.2 Seminar on case studies (consumer's practices and subculture).

2.2. Workshop of research on the consumption practices aimed at support the design of communication campaigns.

There are no bridging courses but a basic knowledge and understanding in the field of sociology of culture is appreciated.

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 these 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, 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

The teaching material and specific communications from the lecturer can be found, together with other supporting activities, inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.i

Teaching

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

Attendance

It will be a compulsory attendance 50% of the lesson time and the active participation to the workshop.

Course books

• Sassatelli R. (2004) Consumo, cultura e società, il Mulino, Bologna.
• Douglas M. e Isherwood B. (1984) Il mondo delle cose, Il Mulino, Bologna (solo le parti indicate a lezione).
• Chin Elizabeth (2016) My life with things. The consumer diaries, Duke University Press, Durham and London (solo le parti indicate a lezione).

(two of the following)

• Bartoletti R., Giannini L. (2019) Perché devo dire qual è il mio orientamento sessuale se voglio farmi semplicemente una vacanza? L’esperienza dei giovani turisti non eterosessuali italiani, in Fuori luogo. Rivista di Sociologia del Territorio, Turismo, Tecnologia, 5, pp. 8-21.
• Corrigan, P. (1997) Il corpo, in "La Sociologia dei Consumi", FrancoAngeli, Milano, pp. 221-241.
• De Certeau, M. (1980) L'invenzione del quotidiano, Edizioni Lavoro, Roma (solo le parti indicate a lezione).
• Wilk R. (2006) Bottled water. The pure commodity in the age of branding, in The Journal of Consumer Culture, 6(3), pp. 303-325.

Assessment

The evaluation of students' preparation for this course will consist of two components: group work and a written test with open-ended questions.

Group work: The group work, which is mandatory, will be conducted as part of a research workshop focusing on consumer practices. This collaborative project will involve an in-depth study of a specific consumption practice, utilizing qualitative data collection methods. Towards the end of the class, students will be expected to present their findings, and a written report on the project will be submitted. Both the presentation and the report will be evaluated, contributing to the final grade.

Written test: To assess students' understanding of the course material, as well as their ability to effectively communicate their knowledge, a written test will be administered. The test will feature open-ended questions and will cover the contents of the lectures and the recommended bibliography. This assessment aims to gauge the students' grasp of the course concepts, their proficiency in expressing ideas using specialized language, their argumentation skills, and their ability to apply the acquired knowledge.

ALTERNATIVE ORAL TEST: An oral test may be taken by students who prefer it over the written one.

EVALUATIONS

Excellent grades will be awarded to students who demonstrate:

• A good critical perspective and in-depth study of the subjects covered during the course.
• The ability to connect the main topics addressed during the course effectively.
• The use of appropriate language.

Good grades will be given to students who demonstrate:

• Strong mnemonic knowledge of the contents.
• A relatively good critical perspective and the ability to make connections among the topics covered.
• The use of appropriate language.

Sufficient grades will be given to students who demonstrate:

• A basic understanding of the topics covered, even with some knowledge gaps.
• The use of mostly appropriate language.

Negative grades will be given to students who demonstrate:

• Difficulty in understanding the treated topics.
• Significant knowledge gaps.
• The use of inappropriate language.

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.

Teaching

Study of the exam books.

Course books

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

One text of the followings:

• Sassatelli R., Santoro M., Semi G., Fronteggiare la crisi. Come cambia lo stile di vita del ceto medio, il MUlino, Bologna, 2015
• Botsman R., Rogers R. (2017) What's mine is yours. The rise of collaborative consumption. Harper Business, New York.

Three texts among the following articles/chapters:

• Sassatelli R., Introduction: Food, Foodways and Italianicity, in R. Sassatelli (Ed.) Italians and Food, Palgrave MacMillan2019.
• Bartoletti R.e Cecchelin G., “What pets want”. Le relazioni tra umani e animali nella comunicazione del pet food, in Sociologia della comunicazione, n. 52/2016, pp. 28-49.
• Wilk R., Bottled water. The pure commodity in the age of branding, in The Journal of Consumer Culture, 6(3), pp. 303-325, 2006.
• Bartoletti R., Giannini L. Perché devo dire qual è il mio orientamento sessuale se voglio farmi semplicemente una vacanza? L’esperienza dei giovani turisti non eterosessuali italiani, in Fuori luogo.
• Campbell C., The Craft Consumer: Culture, craft and consumption in a postmodern society, Journal of Consumer Culture, Nl. 5,  2005, pp. 23-42.
• Oncini F., Forno F. (2021) Testing the Waters: A Sociological Analysis of Domestic Water Use and Consumption, in Turrini P., Massarutto A., Pertile M., de Carli A. (a cura di) Water Law, Policy and Economics in Italy. Between National Autonomy and EU Law Constraints, Springer, Cham, Switzerland, p. 81-103

Assessment

Written test: To assess students' understanding of the course material, as well as their ability to effectively communicate their knowledge, a written test will be administered. The test will feature open-ended questions and will cover the contents of the lectures and the recommended bibliography. This assessment aims to gauge the students' grasp of the course concepts, their proficiency in expressing ideas using specialized language, their argumentation skills, and their ability to apply the acquired knowledge.

ALTERNATIVE ORAL TEST: An oral test may be taken by students who prefer it over the written one.

EVALUATIONS

Excellent grades will be awarded to students who demonstrate:

• A good critical perspective and in-depth study of the subjects covered during the course.
• The ability to connect the main topics addressed during the course effectively.
• The use of appropriate language.

Good grades will be given to students who demonstrate:

• Strong mnemonic knowledge of the contents.
• A relatively good critical perspective and the ability to make connections among the topics covered.
• The use of appropriate language.

Sufficient grades will be given to students who demonstrate:

• A basic understanding of the topics covered, even with some knowledge gaps.
• The use of mostly appropriate language.

Negative grades will be given to students who demonstrate:

• Difficulty in understanding the treated topics.
• Significant knowledge gaps.
• The use of inappropriate language.

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.

For part-time students attendance of the lectures is not mandatory.