Consumption Theory: Canon of Classics
Introduction
PhD Seminar, Odense, Denmark, 5-9 Aug 2008, faculty include Eric J. Arnould, S?ren Askegaard, Beno?t Heilbrunn, Dannie Kjeldgaard, Per ?stergaard, Linda L. Price and Craig J. Thompson; Deadline 1 May
: : : Posting
: : seminar
Aim of the course: Consumption has taken center stage as a subject of study in multiple disciplines, including sociology and anthropology among others. The marketing and consumer research disciplines, along with economics, which had claimed consumption studies as their terrain, are both energized and challenged by this new interest in consumption. The purpose of this course is to critically investigate some of the key classics and contributions from outside the marketing and consumer research fields that constitute the foundation for many of the current perspectives in consumer research. Examples of authors discussed during the seminar include but are not restricted to Jean Baudrillard, Zygmunt Bauman, Pierre Bourdieu, Michel Foucault and Marshall Sahlins.
The learning goals of the seminar are firstly to provide a basic academic education for doctoral candidates within some of the major founding texts behind the current work of consumer culture theorists. Secondly, it is to demonstrate the relevance of general and classical theory for the specific empirical projects and contexts of the doctoral students. Therefore, the program includes three major types of tutoring: 1) lecturing from the faculty on the canon of classics, 2) question and answer sessions where faculty based on student questions elaborate on the relationship between the bodies of theory covered and specific applications in contemporary consumer research and 3) a number of one-to-one sessions where students sign up for a 30 min. meeting with a particular faculty member for discussion of and advice for the student’s own project. The atmosphere is one of open, fruitful and mutually rewarding dialogue. The seminar covers classical works and authors within a multitude of disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, cultural theory, social psychology and philosophy.
Faculty: The confirmed faculty participants for this seminar are Søren Askegaard, Dannie Kjeldgaard and Per Østergaard, all from University of Southern Denmark – Odense, Benoît Heilbrunn, ESCP-EAP Paris, Eric J. Arnould, University of Wyoming, Linda L. Price, University of Arizona, and Craig J. Thompson from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Others may also contribute
Location and dates: The seminar will take place at the campus of the University of Southern Denmark, whereas accommodation and dinners will be in downtown Odense. There will be bus transportation to and from campus on seminar days. The seminar will begin Tuesday, August 5th in the morning and end the night of Saturday August 9th, 2008. Thus we expect the students to arrive Monday evening August 4th at the latest and leave Sunday August 10th at the earliest.
Other course information: The seminar will be held in English, and is 5 ECTS credits. The number of students will be held at 25. The tuition for the seminar, which includes accommodation and meals, is 1000 Euros.
Seminar coordinator: Søren Askegaard, Professor of Marketing, Department of Marketing, University of Southern Denmark – Odense, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark. E-mail: aske@sam.sdu.dk. Tel: +45 65 50 32 55. Fax: +45 66 15 51 29.
Seminar prerequisites: There are no particular prerequisites for Ph.D. students. Selection will be made from among applicants on the basis of a letter of interest, which should address the student’s dissertation research interests and the fit of this seminar within their doctoral program or other research interests. The letter of interest including research project presentation should be no longer than 1.000 words, and should be submitted to the seminar coordinator no later than May 1st 2008.
The students who are selected will be required to read the literature included in this program. They will come to the seminar ready to make a brief presentation of their research project. At the end of the seminar, they will make another presentation that will indicate how their research project will be modified based on the inspirations from the seminar. An important and by experience very enriching part of the program, however, is a set of one-to-one interactive sessions with the faculty, where the student and one of the faculty members can meet for app. 30 minutes and address particular questions and issues concerning the doctoral student’s own work.
To acquire the credits for the seminar, the student must deliver satisfactory presentations and participate actively and constructively in the seminar discussions as well as in the one-to-one sessions with faculty members. The collective group of faculty will meet at the end of the seminar to assess each of the students’ performance.
University of Southern Denmark – Odense
Consumption Theory: Canon of Classics
Ph.D. Seminar
August 5-August 9 2008