Stuff: American Consumer Culture in a Capitalist World

Catalog description

This class will investigate stuff in North America: where it comes from, how it comes to us, how we store it, what it means to us, and what happens when it is no longer ours. The class will cover topics like fast fashion, bespoke craftsmanship, container ships, supply chains, garbage, hoarding, family heirlooms, souvenirs, wills, and museum and archival collections. This class will give students opportunities to connect ecology and economy in North America while also encouraging reflection on the satisfaction and contentment that humans receive from nature and the working world.