HON-H 304 Luxury: From Mortal Sin to Market Sector

Luxury sells. The luxury sector’s value has more than trebled since 1994. There is a paradox here: businesses expect to grow, but luxury has historically been defined as rare, exclusive, or exceptional. Can luxury continue to expand and still be luxury? What forms of luxury might be suited to an era when sustainability and social inequality are among consumers’ most pressing political concerns?

In this seminar, we will first examine how the definition of luxury has changed with time and what its development tells us about society and culture. We will then take a sustained look at luxury industries today before turning our attention to predictions for luxury’s future. Our readings throughout the semester will be drawn from many Liberal Arts disciplines (including history, social theory, anthropology, economics, literature, and religious studies) as well as from business. The course aims both to teach you something about the luxury space today and to inform how you think about your own consumption habits and life choices.

Final grades will be based on class preparation and participation (including reading reports and discussion-board posts), 40%; one short paper (5-6 pages), 15%; peer review and commentary, 10%; proposal-outline for final project, 10%; final project-presentation, 25%.