The course aims to equip students with advanced theoretical and practical tools to understand contemporary consumption and the formality and significance of consumer practices. It seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between production and consumption, collaboration and critique, while exploring how consumption shapes social, cultural, and individual identity. Students will examine key sociological theories of consumption, including practice theory, and explore critical consumption practices and the processes of commodification and decommodification.

Introduction to the concept of consumption through the autoethnographic approach of Elizabeth Chin, the social history of consumption by Frank Trentmann, and the theme of appropriation in Alan Warde.

In-depth study of sociological and anthropological theories of consumption: Werner Sombart on the role of luxury in the evolution of consumer society; Michel de Certeau on everyday tactics and consumption as a creative practice; Georg Simmel and Thorstein Veblen on social processes like fashion and conspicuous consumption; Pierre Bourdieu on forms of capital and consumption practices as expressions of class; Mary Douglas on consumption as communication and the construction of social meanings; Igor Kopytoff on the processes of commodification and decommodification.

Exploration of more recent approaches, including an introduction to practice theory and the role of daily routines in shaping consumption processes; the concept of threshold and consumer behavior analysis in Jan Chipchase; the case of resistance to tap water consumption from Richard Wilk's perspective; analysis of McDonaldization and rationalization of consumption compared to critical, local, and responsible consumption practices; analysis of consumption dynamics in the context of leisure and study of domestic consumption practices.

There are no prerequisites as per the course regulations, but basic knowledge in the disciplines of the sociology of cultural processes (SPS/08) is recommended.

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.

Innovative teaching methods

Debate: students will be invited to discuss some fundamental antinomies of consumer society.

Attendance

To be considered as attending students, they must participate in at least 50% of the class hours.

Course books

• Sassatelli R. (2004) Consumo, cultura e società, il Mulino, Bologna 2004.
• Warde A. (2017) Towards a formal definition of cosumption, in Warde A. “Consumption. A Sociological Analysis”, Palgrave MacMIllan, pp. 66-78
• Chin E. (2016) My life with things. The consumer diaries, Duke University Press, Durham and London (only the parts indicated in class).
• Kopytoff I. (1986) The cultural life of things. Commoditization as process., in Appadurai A. (ed.) The social life of things. Commodities in cultural perspective.  Cambridge University Press, pp. 64-94.
• Douglas M. and Isherwood B. (1979) The world of goods. Basic Books (only the parts indicated in class).
• 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

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. (2004) Consumo, cultura e società, il Mulino, Bologna 2004.
• Warde A. (2017) Towards a formal definition of cosumption, in Warde A. “Consumption. A Sociological Analysis”, Palgrave MacMIllan, pp. 66-78
• Chin E. (2016) My life with things. The consumer diaries, Duke University Press, Durham and London (only the parts indicated in class).
• Kopytoff I. (1986) The cultural life of things. Commoditization as process., in Appadurai A. (ed.) The social life of things. Commodities in cultural perspective.  Cambridge University Press, pp. 64-94.
• Douglas M. and Isherwood B. (1979) The world of goods. Basic Books (only the parts indicated in class).
• 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.

To give non-attending students the opportunity to compensate through independent study for what is covered during the lectures, the following materials are indicated to ensure full understanding of the same program content:

• Forno F.; Graziano P.R. (2016) Il consumo critico, il Mulino, Bologna

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.