Brandeis University

    HIST 118A: The History of American Advertising

    Instructor: Nataliia Laas
    Prerequisites: None
    Course Description: In today’s world, American advertising is an embodiment of consumerism, capitalism, and mass culture - a phenomenon that started locally but accelerated globally over the course of the twentieth century. But is advertising only about providing information about new products for selling? What role do ads play in forging the behavior and strategies of business corporations, consumer protection and rights, or the national identity of citizens? In this course we will consider American advertising from the eighteenth century to the present to understand the growing role of consumerism in our lives. We will begin by examining how the professionalization of advertising and a rise of a new occupation, the advertising agent, created the national market and assisted in the transition of American society from a rural to urban society in the nineteenth-century U.S. We will follow this discussion by identifying the role of advertising in shaping the normative foundations of American identity in terms of race, class, and gender. Finally, we will use advertising as a starting place for researching the ways popular protests emerge under consumer and corporate capitalism. This course will foster the development of incisive analysis and advanced digital literacy skills by exploring a range of primary sources, engaging in structured forum discussions, and conducting independent research.
    Session: Extended
    Day: Online
    Time: Asynchronous
    Credit Hours: 4 Credits
    Course Format: 2234
    Brandeis Graduation Requirement Fulfilled: DL, SS
    Enrollment Limit: 15 students
    Course Classification: Undergraduate Level Course
    Course Tuition: $3,100
    Course Fees: None
    Open to High School Students: Yes