Module Code - Title:
MK4004
-
CONSUMPTION AND CONSUMER CULTURE
Year Last Offered:
2026/7
Hours Per Week:
Grading Type:
N
Prerequisite Modules:
MK4012
Rationale and Purpose of the Module:
This module will explore the nature of consumer culture. It will reflect the general shift within consumer culture in the basic emphasis of economic systems from exchange or production to consumption and define the domain of consumer behaviour, including some areas of interest to consumer behaviour researchers, policymakers, and marketers. The module provides coverage of the circle of consumption and how consumption relates to other technological and economic processes. Students will explore contemporary theories of consumption and will be encouraged to critically reflect upon their own consumption.
Syllabus:
The Circle of Consumption; Culture; Cultural Values; Myths & Symbols; Cultural Rituals; Consumption Meanings & Value; Meaning Transfer; Strategic Analysis of Consumers; Self Concept; Subcultures of Consumption; Lifestyles; Embodiment & Consumption; Consumer Motivation & Involvement; Consumer Experience; Consumer Learning; Purchasing; Gift Exchange; Group Consumption; Social Influence; Innovation; Consumer Resistance; The Disposition Process.
Learning Outcomes:
Cognitive (Knowledge, Understanding, Application, Analysis, Evaluation, Synthesis)
On successful completion of this module, students will be able to;
1) Articulate the differences between approaches to consumer behaviour based on information processing and experiential accounts.
2) Describe consumer practices related to acquisition, consumption and disposition.
3) Differentiate between the alternative meanings that might be associated with consumption objects.
4) Investigate the connections between identity and consumption in a consumer society.
Affective (Attitudes and Values)
On successful completion of this module, students will be able to;
1) Interrogate aspects of their own consumption activities.
Psychomotor (Physical Skills)
None
How the Module will be Taught and what will be the Learning Experiences of the Students:
The module is taught through research-led lectures and supported by a number of task-oriented tutorials to encourage active engagement. Assessment incorporates both formative and summative components and is designed to support the articulation of key principles and concepts, critical reflection of the relationship between theory and practice, creative application of theory to practical contexts, and collaborative engagement with diverse perspectives.
Prime Texts:
Solomon et al (2019) (2019)
Consumer behaviour: a European perspective
, Pearson
Szmigin, I., & Piacentini, M. (2022)
Consumer Behaviour.
, New York, Oxford University
Other Relevant Texts:
Douglas, M. and Isherwood, B. (1996)
The world of goods: Towards an anthropology of consumption.
, Routledge
Arnould, E.J. and Thompson, C.J. (2005)
Consumer culture theory (CCT): Twenty years of research
, Journal of Consumer Research
Programme(s) in which this Module is Offered:
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN APPLIED LANGUAGES
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS STUDIES
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS STUDIES WITH FRENCH
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS STUDIES WITH GERMAN
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS STUDIES WITH JAPANESE
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS STUDIES WITH SPANISH
Semester(s) Module is Offered:
Spring
Module Leader:
maurice.patterson@ul.ie