Advertising and Consumer Communication

Catalog description

This course takes a critical look at the intersection of consumer culture, advertising, marketing and communication. This course also considers the history of advertising, marketing and public relations in the United States as a starting point for better understanding of contemporary practices in these fields. Central in this examination is a consideration of how race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality often map (and are mapped onto) specific consumption patterns. Further, this course examines how advertising and related communication practices happen within a specific political-economic environment and how technology is quickly changing how theory translates into practice in these fields. While advertising, marketing and public relations are undoubtedly a part of our consumer culture, this course is not exclusively about how to "do" these activities, but rather how these communication practices impact our culture. Finally this course will ask students to critically reflect on consumption in terms of global, environmental and labor concerns.