Fashion and Consumer Culture

This seminar will introduce major theoretical works in the study of consumer behavior, from Veblen’s “Theory of the Leisure Class” to emerging fashion and consumer culture theory. Along the way, we will examine a variety of phenomena through these theoretical lenses. Possible topics include religion and consumption, children as consumers, media representations of the fashion industry, consumer activism, dress codes, class and consumption and how individuals use clothing to express identities and group membership. All students will develop a research project resulting in a final paper; graduate students will also lead one class session on a topic of their choice.