Global Consumption

This course is about understanding the sustainability challenges, issues and debates in moving towards a responsible form of global consumption. Through theoretical and practical learning based on both geographic and broader social science literature, we will analyse existing and prospective value chains in a critical fashion. We analyse contemporary debates over the possibilities for consumption to be sustainable. How do companies, government, producers and consumers negotiate consumption’s relationship with the environment, economic growth, justice and labour rights?

Topics investigated in more detail include Fair Trade, commodity chain analysis, the commodification of nature, and corporate social responsibility. In-class debates and learning will draw upon key theories and use a range of case studies and empirical material drawn from ‘real world’ examples and initiatives. These will be supplemented by a fieldtrip to Garstang (the world’s first ‘Fair Trade Town’) in order to see how ethical consumption can permeate across geographical scales and spaces.