Course Spotlight: Sociology of Taste

MET ML 716, Sociology of Taste, with Dr. Connor Fitzmaurice, will be offered as a 14-week online course for the Fall 2023 semester (Sept 5-Dec 18).

Course Description:

Taste has an undeniable personal immediacy: producing visceral feelings ranging from delight to disgust. As a result, in our everyday lives we tend to think about taste as purely a matter of individual preference. However, for sociologists, our tastes are not only socially meaningful, they are also socially determined, organized, and constructed. This course will introduce students to the variety of questions sociologists have asked about taste. What is a need? Where do preferences come from? What social functions might our tastes serve? Major theoretical perspectives for answering these questions will be considered, examining the influence of societal institutions, status seeking behaviors, internalized dispositions, and systems of meaning on not only what we enjoy–but what we find most revolting.

Fall registration is now live. This class is open to graduate students and upper level undergraduates. Non-degree seeking students may register here.

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