Purpose The purpose of this activity is to track your spending in a week and then reflect on how you are engaging in consumer culture through your economic transactions. Learning objectives:

Purpose The purpose of this activity is to track your spending in a week and then reflect on how you are engaging in consumer culture through your economic transactions. Learning objectives: To consider the amount of money we spend in an average week. To understand the significance of how we choose to spend our money in a capitalist society. To see the link between our consumption and our identity. To recognize that as consumers we have the power to make conscious and responsible consumer choices. Task You will need to create a list of all your expenses for a week, if you didn’t track this current week you can look at last week’s expenditure. Write down all purchases for 1 week – if possible, include the price, the store, the manufacturer, and the location of production (note what information you may not know). This information is just for you to know. Please do NOT send me a list of all your purchases. Once you compiled this “data” please answer the following questions to the best of your abilities: What did you learn about yourself as a consumer based on the list? What can you learn about the culture of capitalism from your list? Why do most of us not know the conditions under which the products we consume are produced? How does the culture of capitalism affect intercultural communication? How is your identity connected to or expressed by what you consume? Why should we want to become more economically responsible consumers? What would you change in your consumer activity for you to become a more economically responsible consumer? You will submit an essay response reflecting on your responses to these questions above.