American Consumer Culture
MIT OpenCourseWare's American Consumer Culture traces how twentieth-century Americans came to equate the good life with consumption, leisure, and material abundance. The course moves both chronologically and thematically through the rise of department stores, nationally advertised brand goods, mass-produced automobiles, and suburban development, examining how each reshaped the American economy, society, and politics. Readings and discussion weigh both the boosters and the critics of mass consumption, from early twentieth-century advertising campaigns to postwar suburban expansion. Materials include the full syllabus, weekly reading assignments, and writing prompts drawn from primary sources and historical scholarship. There is no video lecture series; the course is text and discussion based, structured for self-study or classroom use. As with all MIT OpenCourseWare offerings, enrollment and materials are free, with no certificate offered.