Instructions: Write an essay on the question below. You will have the full four hours on class time on December 13 to write the essay.  As usual, feel free to discuss this question with your classmates. Your grade will depend on how well you can incorporate course material (readings, videos, lectures, discussions) into your answer.
 

The Secretary General of the United Nations is preparing a report on "The Quality of Life in Consumer Societies." He is convinced that the institutions of the consumer society are complex and contradictory--that is, they have both positive and negative aspects. You have been asked to contribute to this report by focusing on advertising and shopping malls and specifying as clearly as you can both the positive and negative effects of these institutions on the quality of life. The Secretary General insists that you analyze these institutions historically, by which he means that (1) you briefly analyze the historical development of these institutions, (2) you explain the significance of the institutions in the current historical context (what functions do they serve, how are people affected by them, how important are they in peoples lives today compared to the recent past), and (3) you comment on what other scholars have said about these institutions (eg. Frank, Cohen, Fiske). In other words, how have these institutions shaped our society in both positive and negative ways, how have their importance and influence changed over time, and how would you evaluate their social impact?