week 5 soc

Discussions
To participate in the following discussions, go to this week's Discussion link in the left navigation.

1. Consumerism and Planned Obsolescence
   
   The purpose of this discussion is to understand the growing concerns of consumerism and how the concept of consumerism is applied to varied contexts. Prepare and post a response to the following prompts:
   
   1. Describe consumerism. How is it applied in varied contexts?
   2. What is planned obsolescence?
   3. What are your personal beliefs and biases about consumption?
   4. Having separated your personal belief and bias and using your newly honed skills of ethical evaluation, present how you feel about consumerism and planned obsolescence as a societal issue using ethical theories and concepts.
   
   Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.

1. Conglomerates and Market Domination
   
   The purpose of this discussion is to understand the role of corporations in the modern world, and evaluating ethical aspects of corporate market domination. Prepare and post a response to the following prompts:
   
   1. What is a corporation? What are the defining characteristics of a public corporation? What is a conglomerate? What is the difference between a corporation and a conglomerate?
   2. Describe how media conglomerates are organized in the United States. Use an example of one media conglomerate and examine is various parts. How might these parts work together for mutual advantage?
   3. Consider the ethics of media conglomerates. What are the advantages and drawbacks of allowing large conglomerates to control the mass media? What are alternatives ways the media can be organized? Would the alternatives be more ethical or virtuous? Explain.
   
   Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or other scholarly resources, and properly cite any references.