LINGNAN UNIVERSITY CLE9013 Consumer Culture and Values 2017-18 First Term Instructor:
Dr. Gary Zhan Tel: 2616-8231
Office: SEK101/6 Email:
[email protected]
Credit Hours: Three hours per week, one term Course Description This course aims to analyze the rise of consumer society that reflects the saturation of the modern ideals of progress, well-being and individualism as well as the emerging values, lifestyle and self-responsibility of individuals within a free market. The course requires a compulsory Service Learning project component. Aims It will: 1. Provide the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge for the understanding of consumers’ role in today’s society by exploring concepts of self, theory of social self, social comparison and self-congruence. 2. Emphasize the moral and ethical education of consumers by exploring the emerging issues such as excessive spending, irresponsible consumption, “green consumption” and the social, political and environmental ramifications of their consumption decisions. 3. Foster a well-rounded understanding of consumer decisions and responsibilities among the students and helps them develop the skills, attitudes, knowledge and understanding necessary to become effective, educated and responsible citizens in a consumer society.
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Learning Outcomes On completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Summarize the theoretical and practical concepts about the roles of consumption and consumer decisions in a society and people’s lives, the effect of free market on concepts of modernity (LG1); 2. Evaluate knowledge concerning the consumption decisions, purchase decisions, consumer rights and responsibilities (LG2); 3. Evaluate the social, cultural, political and environmental ramifications of their consumption patterns and decisions with criterial thinking skills (LG3); 4. Analyze consumption values and beliefs to draw implications for long-term consumer well-being as well as sustainable development of societies (LG4); 5. Apply this knowledge in community project and develop important team collaboration skills demanded by the work place (new addition and related to S-L) (LG5). Course Contents 1. The Role of Consumption and Consumers in an Economy The new consumer society, autonomy, and individualism, economic systems, the rise of mass consumer culture and consumer society, the consumer's role in the economy, advertising and consumer decisions, the responsibilities of consumers. 2. Consumer Decisions and Values. Consumer purchase process, Relations of product to identity – “You are what you consume” – conspicuous consumption, horizontal and vertical desires, social class, cultural myths, rituals, sacred and profane consumption, social comparison and self-congruence. 3. Protection of Consumer Rights Government’s role, consumer organizations, deception and fraud, security and privacy, conflicts, complaints, recourse and resolutions, consumer reports, consumer council. 4. Global consumer culture and its propagation. Cultural production system on popular culture, beauty standard through mass media and fashion trends. 5. Responsibilities and Problematic Consumptions The impact of consumption on the environment, green consumption, low-carbon lifestyles, addictive shoppers etc. 6. Effects beyond Personal Consumption Replication of consumptions in terms of political, social, and environmental ramifications, globalization, test animals, sweatshops, pollution, endangered species, recycling and making wellinformed purchase decisions.
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7. Service Learning Project management and team collaboration skill Critical success factors for effective project team: shared goal, shared language and facilitation. Project management with MS project on goal, scope, schedule, responsibility assignment and use of work breakdown structure. Team and client management tools with project charter, letter of agreement, project communication plan, team contract, conflict management by criterial reasoning and active listening to build team collaboration.
Teaching Method/Class Activities We will have lectures on text materials, discussion of current events in consumer affairs and policy, and application of the concepts and theories to real world situations through case analyses, Internet exercises, and critique of recently published newspaper clippings or academic articles. Tactics and techniques for case analyses will be discussed and students will learn how to become an effective consumer. The course begins with a definition of consumer culture and value and the evolution of society. Then it will be followed by a discussion of the rise of consumer society as we enter the industrialization era, its implication to how and what contributes to the determination of price and valuation of our different choices. We will examine the economic and social concept of marginal utility, the paradox of value, horizontal and vertical desires, reference income hypothesis, the mass persuasion process, self-concept, social comparison, cultural rituals, pop culture, mass consumption and its associated consumer issues of excessive consumption, fraud, consumer rights, and sustainability. The course will cover these key areas: understanding the role of consumption in our economy, discretionary and conspicuous consumption, making well-informed purchasing decisions. Furthermore, the concepts of green consumption and social and environmental consequences of consumption will be discussed. Applications are described in the context of consumer buying situations in today’s marketplace. Students are required to form groups of 5 to 7 to work on local service learning project and group assignments. Service Learning This course adopts the service learning approach. Under the guidance of the course instructor and a project officer from the Office of Service learning, 5-7 students (working as a group) will participate in projects with the Concern for Grassroots Livelihood Alliance Ltd. who is a local, independent, social advocacy and service organization that serve the need of grassroots population. Students will work with CFGLAL on developing the brand proposition, support their communication and program implementation at community level with video and narrative storytelling. Please visit Moodle platform for specifics of the service learning project. Key milestones for the service learning project are outlined in the ServiceLearning Course outline.
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Measurement of learning Outcomes 1.
Problem-based formative assessment requires students individually or in groups to explain the applications of concepts and theories of consumer affairs; (LG1,2,3)
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Students are required to review newspaper clippings or journal articles of consumer affairs/consumer policy and demonstrate their understanding of the underlying specific concepts, practices in consumer affairs in class discussion and exercises (LG1,2,3);
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Students are also required to conduct team projects on local culture, consumer rituals and demonstrate their understanding in group presentation (LG3);
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Overall understanding of marketing and consumer affairs is assessed through a team service learning project on relevant practices of an effective, educated and responsible citizens in a consumer society as well as individual self-reflective report on team collaboration skills demanded by the work place (LG2-5).
Assessment On-going assessment Team Cultural value essay Class exercises
35% 20% 15 %
Service Learning project - Letter of agreement/Community partner engagm’t - Project plan/Project progress report - Final presentation to partner and instructor - Self-reflection report (Service Learning project)
65% 10% 15% 10% 30%
Total
100%
Required/Essential Readings Murphy, Wiedenhoft (2017), Consumer Culture and Society, Sage Publications. Recommended/Supplementary Readings Goodall, Chris (2010) How to Live a Low Carbon Life: The Individual's Guide to Tackling Climate Change, Earthscan Ltd. Grunert, K., Thogerson, J. and Olander, F. (2005), Consumers, Policy and the Environment, Springer Verlag. Lorey, David E. (2003), Global Environmental Challenges of the Twenty-First Century: Resources, Consumption, and Sustainable Solutions, Scholarly Resources Inc. Lowe, R., Malouf, C. and Jacobson, A. (2006), Consumer Education and Economics, 6th edition, McGrawHill. 4
Sulkunen, Pekka (2009), The Saturated Society: Governing Risk & Lifestyles in Consumer Culture, Sage Publications. Woollard, Robert and Aleck S. Ostry (Editors) (2001), Fatal Consumption: Rethinking Sustainable Development, UBC Press.
Important Notes: (1) Students are expected to spend a total of 6 hours (i.e. 3 hours of class contact and 3 hours of personal study) per week to achieve the course learning outcomes. (2) Students shall be aware of the University regulations about dishonest practice in course work, tests and examinations, and the possible consequences as stipulated in the Regulations Governing University Examinations. In particular, plagiarism, being a kind of dishonest practice, is “the presentation of another person’s work without proper acknowledgement of the source, including exact phrases, or summarised ideas, or even footnotes/citations, whether protected by copyright or not, as the student’s own work”. Students are required to strictly follow university regulations governing academic integrity and honesty. (3) Students are required to submit writing assignment(s) using Turnitin. (4) To enhance students’ understanding of plagiarism, a mini-course “Online Tutorial on Plagiarism Awareness” is available on https://pla.ln.edu.hk/.
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Course Schedule – CLE9013 2017-18 First Term Tuesday 12:30-13:45pm LKK205 Friday 14:00-15:15pm LKK305 Week 1
Topics covered Overview & Liberal Arts Education learning process
Learning outcomes Understand the scope and nature of criterial thinking and the Blooms Taxonomy on learning. Practice criterial thinking by formulating driving question and reviewing both positive and negative information with conscious awareness of evaluation criteria in context against alternative positions
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Introduction to the evolution of society and how cultures shape our behavior
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Definition of Service Learning project
The Asch experiment and conformity The cultural production system: Popular Culture and Fashion Service project plan
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Consumer Rights, Responsibilities Meeting agenda and minutes Work progress reports Conflict resolution and Project Management
Who am I? How do you describe yourself?
Understand Cultural stories, Myths, Rituals, Sacred and Profane Consumption
Letter of agreement, Project charter, team communication plan developed
Understand concept of social comparison and Self -congruence MECE Action Plan and Work packages with Responsibility Assignment developed Understand how consumer trends were formed and their contributing factors Development of creative content based on insights with target audience needs and credible value connotation represented by symbolic meaning of client partner
Analyze and Evaluate implications of our consumption choice and how we can make a difference Apply course learning in community project and develop important team collaboration skills demanded by the work place
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Project conclusion
Apply course learning in community project and develop important team collaboration skills demanded by the work place
Applying criterial learning process with “When the Jones wear jeans” Training in active listening with paraphrasing and clarification with follow up questions First team project consultation
Case study with Cathay Pacific “Change for Good” program and its guiding principles
Who and how we decide what is “COOL” and “HOT”? Discussion on difference between “Needs” and “Wants” with the Jimmy Kimmel “i-phone 5” story Discuss how mass media and socialization shapes consumer culture Submission of team discussion paper on the application of cultural values to the project creative proposition Second team project consultation
Leading by asking questions and getting to yes with POS Training in pyramid writing approach and presentation Fieldwork with community partner (25+ hours)
Final presentation to community partner with the pyramid writing approach Evaluation by community partner
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Meet the community partner and receive briefing on service learning project
Third team project consultation
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What is Service Learning and development of team contract
Understand relations of product to Identity, Roles in society and Behavior
Understand concept of “You are what you consume” Conspicuous consumption and social class
MBTI assessment after class Team formation with MBTI assessment input
“Evolution of Society” video clip review and conducting criterial thinking with driving questions
Develop important team collaboration skills
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See-Think-Wonder picture exercise
Understand the scope and nature of consumer culture and value
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Global consumer culture and its propagation
Activities
Submission of peer review and Individual reflective report
Service Learning project milestones are in red. 6
CLE9013 Consumer Culture & Values RUBRICS for Team discussion paper: Cultural drivers employed in the SLP Team No.: ____________________ Date: _________
Score Remembering: What Consumer Culture and Values theoretical concepts were applied in the project? Understanding the general behind the particular: Establishing the linkages and connections with Client and target audience
Applying the theoretical framework and cite examples of its manifestation
Analyzing, Evaluating and Advocacy based on clearly stated criteria: Why these are important to target audience in Hong Kong?
Weigh
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Presentation 2
Total (20)
Mastering (2) All key issues or elements covered and proper citation of sources. i.e. What, When, Where, Who
Developing (1) Citation of source but definition of issues are incomplete or key element missing.
Emerging (0) Lack of definition of the underlying concepts. No citation of source.
Interpreting the source material or instructor’s viewpoint with your own understanding i.e. How and Why as well as WHAT IF, WHY NOT
Partial interpretation of the source material or instructor’s viewpoint and making connections of some elements
Material and content limited to repeating the source material.
Application of the creative framework by giving relevant examples on Client attributes that answers to the Hierarchy of Needs, Target audience AIOs, Principles of attention as well as exploring the symbolic meaning behind the phenomenon Analysis and evaluation with multiple perspectives and supported by clear criteria and quantitative data as well as discussion of its merits, limitation and tradeoff Writing is well-focused; issues precisely defined and explained; coherent flow in developing an insightful idea demonstrated
Application of the creative framework by giving relevant examples on Hierarchy of Needs, Target audience AIOs, Principles of attention etc.
Failed to apply the learning in relevant situation
Analysis and evaluation with both positive and negative perspectives and supported by clear criteria and quantitative data
Inadequate, incomplete analysis that failed to differentiate facts, preference from reasoned judgment nor assessing it based on accuracy, significance and logical validity Do not show any individual thinking or perspectives; chaotic in organization and presentation of ideas
Comment:
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Connections are clearly stated; organized flow in writing