Module HIST30A3: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR IN BRITAIN, 1660-1760

Department: History

HIST30A3: CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR IN BRITAIN, 1660-1760

Prerequisites

• • A pass mark in at least TWO level two modules in History.

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To contribute towards meetings the generic aims of Level III study in History.

Content

• Shopping matters. This Special Subject explores the social and cultural significance of consumer behaviour in the century and country which many regard as witnessing the birth of modern society. McKendrick argued that a 'consumer revolution' between 1660 and 1760 provided the demand side of industrialisation and laid the basis for modern consumerism. We will explore the causes and consequences of eighteenth-century society’s consumption of an unprecedented range and volume of goods, investigating both consumer behaviour and the theories used to explain such socio-economic activity then and since. While the language of 'goods' indicates that consumption has been regarded as a socially beneficial activity, contemporaries were alarmed by the social implications of wider luxury.
• Seminars will address modern theories of consumption (an anthropological approach to the social significance of how and why people consume things), as well as contemporary debates on the sociology of the economy, the culture of credit, definitions of property, luxury, politeness and taste. The material culture of consumption, in clothing, houses, furnishings and household utensils, along with print culture, engravings, paintings and evidence for leisure activities (including theatre and music) will be studied from printed sources and surviving artefacts. These sources will be used to examine how the practice and contemporary understandings of consumption relate to controversial historiographical issues such as the development of a public sphere, individualism and the formation of a class-based society.
• The first term concentrates on establishing (and debating!) the framework for consumer behaviour in terms of the economy and intellectual context. The second term is more focused on the practice of consumerism in particular contexts of social life

Learning Outcomes

• At the end of the module students should have a:
• a knowledge of the cultural dimension of economic behaviour in Britain between 1660 and 1760, and how contemporaries regarded consumer behaviour and its social implications;
• an understanding of the approaches to consumption formulated by historians, social theorists and anthropologists;
• an ability to integrate documentary and material culture sources, through the study of primary printed and artefact sources.

• Subject specific skills for this module can be viewed at:
• http://www.dur.ac.uk/History/ugrads/ModuleProformaMap/

• Key skills for this module can be viewed at:
• http://www.dur.ac.uk/History/ugrads/ModuleProformaMap/

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• seminars to allow students to present and critically reflect upon the acquired subject-specific knowledge, methodologies and theories, and to identify and debate a range of issues and differing opinions. The seminar is the forum in which students are given the opportunity to communicate ideas, jointly exploring themes and arguments. Seminars are structured to develop understanding and designed to maximise student participation related to prior independent preparation. Seminars give students the opportunity to develop oral communication skills, encourage critical and tolerant approaches to reasoned argument and historical discussion, build the students' ability to marshal historical evidence, and facilitate the development of the ability to summarise historical arguments, think in a rapidly changing environment and communicate in a persuasive and articulate manner, whilst recognising the value of working with others and, occasionally, towards shared goals;
• tutorials either individually or in groups to discuss topics arising from prepared work, allowing students the opportunity to reflect upon their personal learning with the tutor.
• Assessment:
• Unseen Examinations test students' ability to work under pressure under timed conditions, to prepare for examinations and direct their own programme of revision and learning, and develop key time management skills. The unseen examination gives students the opportunity to develop relevant life skills such as the ability to produce coherent, reasoned and supported arguments under pressure. Students will be examined on subject specific knowledge;
• Summative essays remain a central component of assessment in history, due to the integrative high-order skills they develop. Essays allow students the opportunity to recognise, represent and critically reflect upon ideas, concepts and problems; students can demonstrate awareness of, and the ability to use and evaluate, a diverse range of resources and identify, represent and debate a range of subject-specific issues and opinions. Through the essay, students can synthesise information, adopt critical appraisals and develop reasoned argument based on individual research; they should be able to communicate ideas in writing, with clarity and coherence; and to show the ability to integrate and critically assess material from a wide range of sources;
• Assessment of Primary Source Handling Students are assessed on their understanding of original primary sources, usually in print, their character varying according to the nature of the subject, and the students' ability to bring that knowledge to bear on 'cutting edge' research-based monographs and articles. Students are given the opportunity to discuss and articulate an understanding of changing interpretations and approaches to historical problems, drawing evidence from a body of primary source materials. Students are required to demonstrate skills associated with the evaluation of a variety of primary source materials, using documentary analysis for a critical assessment of existing historical interpretations.
• In addition to documentary sources, this Special Subject includes many visual representations of society and consumer artefacts. We make use of Durham University Museums’ collections for artefacts from Post-Medieval Durham, and at the Oriental Museum. Students learn how to handle and interpret objects, as part of their gobbet exercises and source exam.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One formative essay of not more than 2500 words (not including footnotes and bibliography), submitted in Term 1. This will be returned with written comments and a standard departmental feedback sheet. Coursework essays are formative as well as summative. They are to be submitted in two copies, of which one will be returned with written comments and a standard departmental feedback sheet. Preparation to participate in seminars and tutorials. At least one oral presentation in each term, and at least two practice gobbets in each term.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University