Summer Seminar for College Teachers
Summer 2014
What Does it Mean to be Human in Consumer Culture?
Implications for the Church and Christian Scholars
Revised Tentative Schedule of Topics and Required/Supplementary Readings
The schedule provides a tentative listing of the following:
1) Descriptions of sessions.
2) The required reading(s) to introduce the topic and around which the conversation will be based.
3) A number of supplementary references are presented for each topic area to facilitate
participants’ research and development of pedagogical components. (Obviously, participants
are not expected to read all of the supplementary readings).
With the exception of the discussions on the first day of the seminar and discussions led by the
guest speakers, discussions will be led by seminar participants. Seminar participants will be
assigned discussion topics for which they will be responsible to lead. Discussion leaders will be
strongly encouraged to lead their discussions with a focus on how the topic speaks to and
through their individual disciplinary areas.
4) Discussion questions to continue an informal discussion during meals are also included.
1
Week 1
Monday July 7
Morning – Introduction (Section 1).
Topics: Introduction of participants.
Introduction to the seminar and discussion of expectations.
Explore library resources.
Goals: Build community.
Address requirements and expectations.
Build awareness of other’s disciplines and research interests.
Gain a working knowledge of available electronic resources for research.
Required Readings: None.
Lunch – Discussion: What led us to participate in this seminar?
Afternoon – Introduction to Consumer Culture (Section 2). Discussion led by Seminar Leader.
Topics: Explore the rise of consumer culture.
Identify the effects of consumer culture on individuals and on individual spirituality/religion.
Goals: Obtain an understanding of consumer culture.
Begin to become aware of how consumer culture developed and diffused.
Explore the effects of consumer culture on individuals.
Recognize the existence of alternatives to consumer culture.
Required Readings:
1-Roberts, James A. (2011), Shiny Objects: Why We Spend Money We Don’t Have in
Search of Happiness We Can’t Buy. New York: HarperOne, chapter 1.
2-Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm (2001), The Gay Science. New York: Cambridge University
Press, 109-123.
3-Zacharias, Ravi K. (2008), The End of Reason. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 39-79.
Supplementary Readings: S1-Twitchell, James B. (2003), “The Liberating Role of Consumption and the Myth of
Artificially Created Desires,” in Voluntary Simplicity: Responding to Consumer Culture,
Daniel Doherty and Amitai Etzioni, eds. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 183-191.
S2-Ni, Zhang (2011), “Modern Consumption under Consumer Culture Context and Its
Social Function,” Sino-US English Teaching, 8 (March), 206-210.
(http://www.davidpublishing.org/show.html?5165).
S3-Gay, Craig M. (1998), “ Senualists Without Heart,” in The Consuming Passion:
Christianity & the Consumer Culture, Rodney Clapp, ed. Downers Grove IL: InterVarsity
Press, 19-39.
S4-Rodgers, Daniel T. (2011), Age of Fracture. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press.
Evening – Welcome Dinner (includes family).
2
Tuesday July 8
Morning – Identity in the Consumer Culture – The Transformation of Who We Are (Section 3). Discussion
led by Group #1
Topic:
Goals:
Examination of what it means to be human in consumer culture.
Understand the basis of identity in consumer culture.
Recognize how identity affects individual choices.
Explore the connections between spirituality/religion and identity.
Required Readings:
1-Burns, David J. (2002), “Identity through Consumption Activities: A Review and Critical
Analysis.” Unpublished draft manuscript.
2-Newholm, Terry and Gillian C. Hopkinson (2009), “I Just Tend to Wear What I Like:
Contemporary Consumption and the Paradoxical Construction of Individuality,”
Marketing Theory, 9 (4), 439-462.
Supplementary Readings: S1-Berger Jonah and Chip Heath (2007), “Where Consumers Diverge from Others:
Identity Signaling and Product Domains,” Journal of Consumer Research, 34 (August),
121-134.
S2-Stillman, Tyler F., Frank D. Fincham, Kathleen D. Vohs, Nathaniel M. Lambert, and
Christa Philips (2012), “The Material and Immaterial in Conflict: Spirituality Reduces
Conspicuous Consumption,” Journal of Economic Psychology, 33 (February), 1-7.
S3-Thompson, Debora V. and Michael J. Norton (2011), “The Social Utility of Feature
Creep,” Journal of Marketing Research, 48 (June), 555-565.
S4-Chaudhuri, Himadri Roy and Sitanath Majumdar (2010), “Conspicuous Consumption: Is
That All Bad? Investigating the Alternative Paradigm,” Vikalpa: The Journal for Decision
Makers, 35 (October-December), 53-59.
S5-Tiliopoulos, Niko and Chris McVittie (2010), “Aspects of Identity in a British Christian
Sample,” Mental Health, Religion & Culture. 13 (November/December), 707-719.
S6-DeLillo, Don (1986), White Noise. New York: Penguin.
S7-Ghasemi, P., F. Pourgiv, and M. Ghafoori (2010), “The Catcher in the Rye: Holden vs.
Consumer Culture,” The Journal of Teaching Language Skills, 2 (1, Spring), 27-43.
S8-Bowlby, Rachel (1985), Just Looking: Consumer Culture in Dreiser, Gissing, and Zola.
New York: Methuen.
S9-Bowlby, Rachel (2001), Carried Away: The Invention of Modern Shopping. New York :
Columbia University Press.
S10-Hankiss, Elemér (2006), The Toothpaste of Immortality: Self-Construction in the
Consumer Age. Baltimore MD: Johns Hopkins Press.
S11-Cameron, Kenneth Neill (1985), Marxism: The Science of Society. Boston MA: Bergin
& Garvey.
S12-Roemer, Nils H. and Gideon Reuveni (eds.) (2010), Longing, Belonging and the
Making of Jewish Consumer Culture. Leiden Netherlands. IJS Studies in Judaica.
Lunch – Discussion: How have we constructed our identities?
3
Wednesday July 9 – Research time. The seminar director will be available to individually work with seminar
participants on their projects.
Lunch – Discussion: How would our purchasing differ if it was not connected to our identities?
4
Thursday July 10
Morning –Time in the Consumer Culture – The Temporal Transformation (Section 4). Discussion led by
Group #2.
Topics: Examination of what it means to be human in consumer culture, cont.
Transformation of the meaning and use of time.
Goals: Understand the effect of consumer culture on the availability and use of time.
Required Readings:
1-Anderson, Kerby “Time and Busyness.”
http://www.probe.org/site/c.fdKEIMNsEoG/b.4218335/k.AF9C/Time_and_Busyness.h
tm
2-Schor, Juliet (1994), “Decline of Leisure Time in America,” Vital Speeches of the Day, 60
(October 1), 748-752.
Supplementary Readings: S1-Leete, Laura and Juliet B. Schor (1994), “Assessing the Time-Squeeze Hypothesis:
Hours Worked in the United States, 1969-1989,” Industrial Relations, 33 (January), 2543.
S2-Bettany, Shona and Catherine Gatrell (2009), “The Present Location of Temporal
Embeddedness: The Case of Time Linked Consumption Practice in Dual Career
Families,” Advances in Consumer Research, 36, 293-299.
S3-Mason, John D. (1998), “Stewardship, Sabbath and Time,” in The Consuming Passion:
Christianity & the Consumer Culture, Rodney Clapp, ed. Downers Grove IL: InterVarsity
Press, 107-117.
S4-Cross, Gary S. (1993), Time and Money: The Making of Consumer Culture. New York:
Routledge.
S5-Weber, Max (2001), The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. New York:
Scribner.
Lunch – Discussion: How are we using our time?
5
Afternoon, pt. 1 – Branding in the Consumer Culture – The Transformation of the Role of Branding (Section
5). Discussion led by Group #3.
Topic:
Goals:
Investigation into the meaning and role of branding.
Understand the role of brands in consumer culture.
Explore how identity is developed/communicated through brands.
Required Reading:
1-Elliott, Richard and Kritsadarat (1998), “Brands as Symbolic Resources for the
Construction of Identity,” International Journal of Advertising, 17 (2), 131-144.
Supplementary Readings: S1-Belk, Russell and Gülnur Tumbat (2005), “The Cult of MacIntosh,” Consumption,
Markets, and Culture, 8 (September), 205-217.
S2-Beaudoin, Tom (2003), Consuming Faith: Integrating Who We Are with what We Buy.
Lanham, MD : Sheed & Ward, 1-13.
S3-Sinclair, Stéfan and Geoffrey Rockwell (2012), “Consumer Culture and Fifty Shades of
Grey,” http://demandnothing.org/consumer-culture-and-fifty-shades-of-grey/.
S4-Paharia, Neeru, Anat Keinan, Jill Avery, and Juliet B. Schor (2011), “The Underdog
Effect: The Marketing of Disadvantage and Determination through Brand Biography,”
Journal of Consumer Research, 37 (February), 775-790.
S5-Perez, Maria Eugenia, Raquel Castraňo and Claudia Quintanilla (2010), “Constructing
Identity through the Consumption of Counterfeit Luxury Goods,” Qualitative Market
Research: An International Journal, 13 (3), 219-235.
S6-Chernev, Alexander, Ryan Hamilton, and David Gal (2001), “Competing for Consumer
Identity: Limits to Self-Expression and the Perils of Lifestyle Branding,” Journal of
Marketing, 75 (May), 66-82.
S7-Batra, Rajeev, Aaron Ahuvia, and Richard P. Bagozzi (2012), “Brand Love,” Journal of
Marketing, 76 (March), 1-16.
S8-Berger Arthur Asa (2010), The Objects of Affection: Semiotics and Consumer Culture.
New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Afternoon, pt. 2 – Branding in the Consumer Culture – Branding as Religion? (Section 6). Discussion led by
Group #3 (continuation of discussion on branding).
Topic:
Goals:
Exploring brands as the religion of consumer culture.
Understand the role of strong brands
Examination of worship as a response to strong brands.
Required Reading:
1-Burns, David J. and Jeffrey K. Fawcett, Jeffrey (2012), “The Role of Brands in a Consumer
Culture: Can Strong Brands Serve as a Substitute for a Relationship with God,” Journal
of Biblical Integration in Business, 15 (Fall), 28-42
(http://www.cbfa.org/JBIB_Volume_15-2.pdf).
Supplementary Readings: S1-Shachar, Ron, Tülin Erdem, Gavan J. Fitzsimons, and Keisha Wells (2011), “Brands: The
Opiate of the Non-Religious Masses?” Marketing Science, 30 (January/February), 92110.
S2-Taylor, Mark Edward (2012), Branding Obamessiah: The Rise of an American Idol.
Grand Rapids MI: Edenridge Press.
Dinner – Discussion: What brands do we own? What do they mean to us?
6
Friday July 11
Morning – Producer versus Consumer Consciousness (Section 7). Discussion led by guest speaker.
Topic: Discussion with guest speaker Dr. Homer B. Warren.
Required Readings:
1-Barber, Benjamin (2007), Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilizes Adults,
and Swallows Citizens Whole. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
2-Gibson, Andrew (2011), “Ideas and Practices in the Critique of Consumerism,”
Environmental Philosophy, 8 (2), 171-188.
3-Curtis, Adam (2002), “Century of the Self” BBC Documentary,
http://vimeo.com/67977038 (episode 3 will be the focus).
4-Warren, Homer B. (2014), “Replacing Consumer Consciousness with Producer
Consciousness.”
Lunch – Discussion: How would life look differently with a producer consciousness?
7
Week 2
Monday July 14
Morning, pt. 1 – Relationships in the Consumer Culture – The Transformation of Personal Interactions
(Section 8). Discussion led by Group #4.
Topic:
Goals:
Exploration into the changing nature of personal relations.
Understand the nature of relationships in a consumer culture – with whom or with what?
Explore the interchangeability of products and people.
Required Reading:
1-Lastovicka, John L. and Nancy J. Sirianni (2011), “Truly, Madly, Deeply: Consumers in the
Throes of Material Possessive Love,” Journal of Consumer Research, 38 (August), 323342.
Supplementary Readings: S1-Rindfleisch, Aric, James E, Burroughs, and Frank Denton (1997), “Family Structure,
Materialism, and Compulsive Consumption,” Journal of Consumer Research, 23
(March), 312-321.
S2-Peiss, Kathy L. (1998), “American Women and the Making of Modern Consumer
Culture,” Journal of MultiMedia History, 1 (1).
S3-Scanlon, Jennifer (1995), Inarticulate Longings: The Ladies' Home Journal, Gender and
the Promise of Consumer Culture. New York: Routledge.
S4-Lambert, Nathaniel M., Frank D. Fincham, Tyler F. Stillman, and Lucas D. Dean (2009),
“More Gratitude, Less Materialism: The Mediating Role of Life Satisfaction,” Journal of
Positive Psychology, 4 (1), 32-42.
S5-Sullivan, Oriel and Jonathon Gershuny (2004), “Inconspicuous Consumption: WorkRich, Time-Poor in the Liberal Market Economy,” Journal of Consumer Culture, 4
(March), 79-100.
S6-Putnam, Robert D. (2000), Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American
Community. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Morning, pt. 2 – Children in the Consumer Culture – The Transformation of Childhood (Section 9).
Discussion led by Group #5.
Topic:
Goals:
Exploration into the changing nature of children.
Understand the roles filled by children in a consumer culture.
Explore the effects of the change in the activities of Children.
Required Reading:
1-Hill, Jennifer Ann (2011) “Endangered Childhoods: How Consumerism is Impacting Child
and Youth Identity,” Media, Culture & Society, 33 (3, April), 347-362.
Supplementary Readings: S1-Levine, Madeline (2007), Has Materialism Hurt Our Kids Privilege,” Tikkun, 22
(January/February), 33-60.
S2-Kelly, Katy and Linda Kulman (2004), “Kid Power,” U.S. News and World Report,
(September 13), 46-52.
S3-Tyre, Peg, et al (2004), “The Power of No,” Newsweek, 144 (September 13), 42-51.
S4-Hamilton, Kathy (2012), “Low-Income Families and Coping through Brands: Inclusion
or Stigma,” Sociology, 46 (1), 74-90.
S5-Buckingham, David (2011), The Material Child: Growing up in Consumer Culture,
Cambridge UK: Polity.
S6-Jacobson, Lisa, ed. (2007), Children and Consumer Culture in American Society: A
Historical Handbook and Guide. New York: Praeger.
S7-Epp, Amber M. and Linda L. Price (2012), “Family Time in Consumer Culture:
Implications for Transformative Consumer Research,” in Transformative Consumer
Research for Personal and Collective Well-Being, David Glen Kick, Simone Pettigrew,
Cornelia Pechman and Juli L. Ozanne, eds. New York: Routledge, 599-622.
8
Lunch – Discussion: What is the quality of our personal relationships?
9
Afternoon – Happiness in the Consumer Culture – The Transformation of the Perceived Source of Happiness
(Section 10). Discussion led by Group #6.
Topic:
Goals:
Investigation into the sources of happiness.
Understand happiness and its origins.
Explore short-term happiness versus lasting happiness.
.
Required Reading:
1-Myers, David G. (2003), “Wealth and Happiness: A Linked Relationship,” in in Voluntary
Simplicity: Responding to Consumer Culture, Daniel Doherty and Amitai Etzioni, eds.
Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 41-51.
Supplementary Readings: S1-Cherrier, Héléne and Caroline Lego Munoz (2007), “A Reflection on Consumers’
Happiness: The Relevance of Care for Others, Spiritual Reflection, and Financial
Detachment,” Journal of Research for Consumers, 12, 1-19.
“Oh, Our Aching Angst,” (1992), Forbes 150 (September 14). A set of articles from the
75th anniversary issue.
S2-Paper 1: Michaels, James “Oh, My Aching Angst,” 47-52.
S3-Paper 2: “You’d Cry too if it Happened to You,” 58-69.
S4-Paper 3: “Where is the Space to Chase Rainbows,” 72-84.
(These are the first three of a large series of papers on the lack of happiness
today).
S5-Makant, Mindy G. (2010), “The Pursuit of Happiness: The Virtue of Consumption and
the Consumption of Virtue,” Dialog: A Journal of Theology, 49 (Winter), 291-299.
S6-Green, Morgan and Marta Elliott (2010), “Religion, Health, and Psychological WellBeing,” Journal of Religion & Health, 49 (June), 149-163.
S7-Myers, David (1998), “Money & Misery,” in The Consuming Passion: Christianity & the
Consumer Culture, Rodney Clapp, ed. Downers Grove IL: InterVarsity Press, 51-75.
S8-Fitzgerald, F. Scott (1953), The Great Gatsby. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.
S9-Ferlinghetti, Lawrence (1958), A Coney Island of the Mind. New York: New Direction
Books.
S10-Carlin, Nathan and Donald Capps (2012), 100 Years of Happiness: Insights and
Findings from Experts. Santa Barbara CA: Praeger.
Dinner – Discussion: Are we pursuing happiness in all the wrong places?
10
Tuesday July 15
Morning – Commodification and Distancing: The Hidden Discipline of Consumer Culture (Section 11).
Discussion led by guest speaker.
Topic: Discussion with guest speaker Vincent J. Miller, University of Dayton.
Required Readings:
1-Miller, Vincent Jude (2004), Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a
Consumer Culture. New York: Continuum, chapters 1, 2 and 7.
2-Miller, Vincent Jude (2014), “Slavery and Commodity Chains: Fighting the Globalization
of Indifference,” America, http://americamagazine.org/issue/slavery-and-commoditychains-fighting-globalization-indifference
Lunch – Discussion: A continuation of the discussion
11
Wednesday July 16 – Research time. The seminar director will be available to individually work with
seminar participants on their projects.
Wednesday July 16 – Discussion: TBD.
12
Thursday July 17
Morning – TBA (Section 12). Discussion led by guest speaker.
Topic: Discussion with guest speaker Gillian Alhgren, Xavier University.
Readings: TBA.
Lunch – Discussion: A continuation of the discussion.
Afternoon – Well-Being in Consumer Culture – The Growth of Fear (Section 13). Discussion led by Group #1.
Topic:
Goals:
Exploring the growth of fear in society.
Understand relationships in a consumer culture – with who or with what?
Explore family life in a consumer culture.
Required Reading:
1-Burns, David J. (2014), “The Search for Home: The Role of Consumption.” Unpublished
manuscript.
Supplementary Readings: S1-Bouma-Prediger and Brian J. Walsh (2008), Beyond Homelessness: Christian Faith in a
Culture of Displacement. Grand Rapids MI: William B. Eerdmans.
S2-S7-Kirk, Stephen (2010), We are trusting God to grow us Stronger in our devotion to
Christ. Mason OH: Hope Evangelical Free Church.
Dinner – Discussion: What role does fear play in our lives?
13
Friday July 18
Morning, pt. 1 – Marketing Strategies in the Consumer Culture – The Transformation of Marketing Strategy
(Section 14). Discussion led by Group #2.
Topic:
Goals:
Understand the competitive nature of consumptive activity in a consumer culture.
Understand interpersonal conflictual nature of consumer behavior
Explore how marketers use the conflictual nature of consumer behavior to their advantage.
Required Reading:
1-Burns, David J. and Homer B. Warren (2008), “Consumer Warfare: Implications for
Marketing Strategy,” Journal of Business Strategy, 29 (November/December), 44-52.
Supplementary Readings: S1-Schor, Juliet (2003), “The Problem of Overconsumption – Why Economists Don’t Get
It,” in Voluntary Simplicity: Responding to Consumer Culture, Daniel Doherty and
Amitai Etzioni, eds. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 65-82.
S2-Luedicke, Marius K., Craig J. Thompson, and Marus Giesler (2010), “Consumer Identity
Work as Moral Protagonism: How Myth and Ideology Animate a Brand-Mediated
Moral Conflict,” Journal of Consumer Behavior, 36 (April), 1016-1032.
S3-Burns, David J. and Homer B. Warren (2008), “Consumer Warfare: Implications for
Marketing Strategy,” extended version. Unpublished manuscript.
Morning, pt. 2 – Marketers in a Consumer Culture – The Transformation of the Role of Marketers (Section
15). Discussion led by Group #3.
Topic:
Goals:
Examination of the role of marketers in consumer culture.
Understand marketers within a consumer culture.
Explore the relationship between marketing and consumer culture.
Required Reading:
1-Burns, David J. and Homer B. Warren (2009), “Are Marketers Nothing More Than Arms
Dealers?” Journal of Business Management and Change, 4 (1), 9-26.
Supplementary Readings: S1-Sher, Schlomo (2011), “A Framework for Assessing Immorally Manipulative Marketing
Tactics,” Journal of Business Ethics, 102 (August), 97-118.
Lunch – Discussion: Are our consumer choices inherently conflictual in nature?
14
Week 3
Monday July 21
Morning – Peace Making Effects of the Consumer Culture?: The Theories of Rene Girard (Section 16).
Discussion led by Group #4.
Topic:
Goals:
Explore how the theories of Rene Girard apply to consumer culture.
Understand the theories of Rene Girard.
Recognize how the theories of Rene Girard relate to consumer culture.
Required Reading:
1-Burns, David J. (2007), “Consumption Unveiled: Toward a Meta-Narrative of
Consumption.” Extended version. Unpublished manuscript.
Supplementary Readings: S1-Bailie, Gil (1995), Violence Unveiled: Humanity at the Crossroads. New York:
Crossroad.
S2-Stirling, Mack C. (2004), “Violent Religion: Rene Girard’s Theory of Culture,” in The
Destructive Power of Religion, J. Harold Ellens, ed. Westpoint CT: Praeger, 11-50.
S3-Daniels, John (2008), “Wanting Nothing: Imitation and Production in the Economy of
Desire,” New Blackfriars, 90 (January), 90-107.
S4-Skerrett, K. Roberts (2003), “Desire and Anathema: Mimetic Rivalry in Defense of
Plentitude,” Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 71 (December), 793-809.
S5-Vaughan, Barry (2002), “The Punitive Consequences of Consumer Culture,”
Punishment & Society, 4 (April), 195-211.
S6-Jung, L Shannon (2012), “The Reeducation of Desire in a Consumer Culture,” Journal of
the Society of Christian Ethics, 32 (1), 21-38.
S7-Miller, Vincent Jude (2004), Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a
Consumer Culture. New York: Continuum, 107-145.
S8-Burns, David J. (2010), “Mimeticism and the Basis of Value: Toward a Theory of
Fashion Marketing,” Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, 1 (1), 40-50.
Lunch – Discussion: Does competitive consumption lower violence in society?
15
Afternoon – Voluntary Simplicity as an Alternative to Consumer Culture (Section 17). Discussion led by
Group #5.
Topic: Exploring alternatives to consumer culture.
Goals: Examine alternatives to consumer culture.
Required Reading:
1-Elgin, Duane and Arnold Mitchell (2003), “Voluntary Simplicity: A Movement Emerges,”
in Voluntary Simplicity: Responding to Consumer Culture, Daniel Doherty and Amitai
Etzioni, eds. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 145-171.
Supplementary Readings: S1-Sandlin, Jennifer A. (2009), “Complicated Simplicity: Moral Identity Formation and
Social Movement Learning in the Voluntary Simplicity Movement,” Adult Education
Quarterly, 59 (August) 298-317.
S2-Brooks, David (2003), “Conspicuous ‘Simplicity,’” in Voluntary Simplicity: Responding
to Consumer Culture, Daniel Doherty and Amitai Etzioni, eds. Lanham, MD: Rowman &
Littlefield, 175-182.
S3-Castro, Janice (1991), “The Simple Life,” Time, (April 8), 58-63.
S4-Levy, Neil (2005), “Downshifting and Meaning in Life,” Ratio, 18 (2), 176-189.
S5-Etzioni, Amitai (1998), “Voluntary Simplicity: Characterization, Select Psychological
Implications and Societal Consequences,” Journal of Economic Psychology, 19
(October), 619-643.
S6-Boujbel, Lilie andAlain d’Astous (2012), “Voluntary Simplicity and Life Satisfaction: The
Mediating Role of Consumption Desires,” Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 11
(November/December), 487-494.
S7-Cavanaugh, William T. (2008), Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire. Grand
Rapids MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans.
S8-Wordsworth, William (1994), The Collected Poems of William Wordsworth.
Hertfordshire UK: Wordsworth Editions.
S9-Kerouac, Jack (2008), The Darma Burns. New York: Penguin.
Dinner – Discussion: Is voluntary simplicity a lifestyle that we would pursue?
16
Tuesday July 22
Morning – Conclusion: Consumer Culture and the Church (Section 18). Discussion led by Group #6.
Topic:
Goals:
Application of seminar topics to the Church.
Reflection on the items discussed in the seminar.
Exploration of consumer culture and different theological positions.
Required Readings:
1-Colson, Charles and Ellen Santilli Vaughn (1992), “Welcome to McChurch,” Christianity
Today, 36 (14, November 23), 28-32.
2-Platt, David (2010), Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. Portland
OR: Multnomah.
3-Beabout, Gregory R. and Eduardo J. Echeverria (2002), “The Culture of Consumerism: A
Catholic and Personalist Critique,” Journal of Markets & Morality, 5 (Fall), 339-383.
4-Miller, Vincent Jude (2004), Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a
Consumer Culture. New York: Continuum, 179-228.
Supplementary Readings: S1-Engedal, Leif Gunnar (2011), “Searching for Spiritual Roots and Discipleship in a
Postmodern Consumer Culture: The Norwegian CrossRoad Movement,” Spiritus: A
Journal of Christian Spirituality, 11(1, Spring), 51-66.
S2-Barger, Rick (2005), A New and Right Spirit: Creating an Authentic Church in a
Consumer Culture. Herndon VA: Alban Institute.
S3-Jethani, Skye (2009), The Divine Commodity: Discovering a Faith Beyond Consumer
Christianity. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Lunch – Discussion: How should the Church respond?
17
Wednesday July 23
Morning – Conclusion: Discussion of Pedagogical Applications and Research Plans.
Goals:
Explore personal effects of and outcomes to the seminar.
Explore how to the seminar can/will affect our classrooms.
Several participants will their research plans for discussion.
Lunch – Continuing discussion on research plans.
Afternoon – Conclusion: Discussion of Pedagogical Applications and Research Plans, cont. (if
needed/desired).
Goals:
Several participants will their research plans for discussion.
Wrap up and discussion of what’s next.
Dinner – Ending Dinner
18
Thursday July 24 and Friday July 25 – Independent research
The seminar director will be available to individually work with seminar participants on their projects.
19