Consuming Childhood

Consuming Childhood is a Cognitive Science/Social Science class taught by Melissa Burch and Rachel Conrad.

This course satisfies Division I requirements.

Course Description
In this childhood studies course, we will explore the commercialization of childhood in the U.S. We will examine historical changes in young people's material culture and the commercial culture of play over the past 100 years, and the conceptualizations of childhood associated with these changes. We will discuss the impact of an increasingly commercial culture on children's social and cognitive development. We will also consider the use of child development research in targeting children in marketing and advertising, and children's understanding and experience of media.