University of Liverpool module Critical Perspectives on Consumption. Assignment 2

Assignment Overview

Students who are taking the University of Liverpool module Critical Perspectives on Consumption have to do an essay for Assignment 2. This assignment is about the arguments surrounding modern consumer culture. We are talking about things like consumption how consumers behave, how gender and race are shown and the way companies market their products.

This assignment is really important because it makes up 60 percent of the grade for the module. To do well students need to show that they can do academic research think critically and make good arguments based on evidence.

Assignment Details

Essay Requirements

For this assignment students have to choose one question out of three and answer it in their essay. The essay needs to have an argument that is supported by academic evidence, theories and examples.

The assignment is looking for a key things. These include:

• Critical thinking
• research
• Good academic writing
• Use of journal articles
• Strong argument development
• Application of theories and concepts

Recommended Essay Structure

A good essay might have the following parts:

• introduce the topic present the argument and outline what will be discussed
• Main Body Paragraphs: develop arguments apply theories and support points with examples
• Critical Discussion: evaluate arguments show analysis and link theories to real-world examples
• sum up the main points reinforce the argument and avoid introducing new information

Academic Requirements

Students are expected to use:

• At 15 academic journal references
• Relevant scholarly sources
• Examples from media or industry where suitable
• A consistent referencing style throughout the essay

The essay should focus on analyzing things rather than just describing them.

Formatting Guidelines

The essay should be submitted as a Word document using:

• Times New Roman
• Font Size: 12
• Line Spacing: 2.0
• Consistent referencing style

Assignment Questions

Students have to choose one of the following topics:

Question 1:

Is it possible to consume things in an ethical way in todays consumer society?

This topic is about sustainability, ethical purchasing, consumer responsibility and the contradictions of capitalism.

Question 2:

Why do consumers sometimes behave badly and how can companies manage this behaviour?

This essay is about consumer misconduct, -social behaviour and marketing strategies.

Question 3:

Can the way companies show gender and race in their marketing challenge stereotypes and promote consumer wellbeing?

Students can discuss advertising, diversity representation and concepts like femvertising.

Tips for Achieving Higher Marks

To get grades students should:

• Develop a clear argument
• Use analysis
• Apply relevant theories
• Include evidence from journal articles
• Show thinking
• Keep their paragraphs logical
• Avoid quoting much
• Link theory, with real-world examples

Understanding the Marking Criteria

Essays that get high grades usually have:

• Independent research
• Original insights
• Excellent structure and coherence
• Effective use of theory
• depth
• Well-supported arguments
• Clear writing style

Essays that get grades often just describe things rely on lecture notes or do not make strong arguments.