Consumer Culture OpenCourseWare: MIT's Free Bachelor Level Writing Course on the Study of Consumer Culture

Published Apr 20, 2009

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This OpenCourseWare presents class materials from 'Consumer Culture,' a humanities course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This course looks at the importance of shopping and the influence of commercial brands on modern society. The free materials here may benefit students seeking a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities.

Consumer Culture: Course Specifics

Degree Level Free Audio Video Downloads
Undergraduate Yes No No Yes

Lectures/Notes Study Materials Tests/Quizzes
No Yes No

Consumer Culture: Course Description

This MIT OpenCourseWare includes a pair of readings that look at how the elements of the shopping experience are crafted. In his article Listening to Khakis, Malcolm Gladwell writes about how men and women respond differently to advertising. In The Science of Shopping, Gladwell investigates how retail stores are designed based around the tendencies of human behavior. The course also features descriptions of homework and essay assignments from the original course that ask discussion questions about these articles and others. Portions of the Mayfield Handbook for Technical Writing are included with this course in PDF form to guide students in proper writing style for academic papers. This material can be useful to students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities.

Readings, a list of further suggested readings and homework assignments are offered with this free course. To find these materials, visit the consumer culture course page.

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