This course focuses on the newly emerging, theoretically intriguing, and socially relevant field of sociology of consumption.  In the past four decades, consumption has become increasingly more significant to our daily lives.  Sociologists also increasingly realize this trend.  Many are recognizing that sociology’s conventional focus on social phenomena related to production and neglect of those related to consumption have become a liability for understanding the contemporary world.  This line of argument applies strongly to China, which has been rapidly transforming from a society that focused on production to one that emphasizes consumption as much as production in the past two decades.  This course is timely as well as useful for students who wish to learn about how consumption is impacting on themselves and Chinese societies.