HIST 390 Research Seminar

History of Consumer Culture in the US 1880-1980: 

The consumption of goods services and experiences has been an important element in the history of the United States from the seventeenth century to the present. However the century beginning in 1880 transformed the nation into a modern consumer society. This research seminar provides a lens through which to explore such issues as the impact of mass media on society; the gendered racial ethnic and class issues that shape the experience of consumption; the role of the United States in the global development of modern consumption; and the ways in which the intersections of consumption production and politics shaped the nation. This seminar has two focal points. First reading contemporary historical scholarship provides both models for students' own research and ways of understanding issues such as the power relationships that undergird a consumer society and the moral challenges consumption has posed. Second as the semester proceeds attention will increasingly turn! to original research projects that draw on the widest variety of sources such as visual culture novels newspapers and magazines and the literature of social protest. What is the intellectual justification of the course? This course examines the rise and significance of consumer culture in the U.S. It will introduce students to important secondary works on consumer culture in the U.S. and will teach research methods and skills.