Module Code: M9CMS
Long Title Critical Marketing Studies
Title Critical Marketing Studies
Module Level: LEVEL 9
EQF Level: 7
EHEA Level: Second Cycle
Credits: 5
Module Coordinator: Louise (F) Maguire
Module Author: Andrea Del Campo Dugova
Departments: School of Business
Specifications of the qualifications and experience required of staff

Lecturer: Master’s degree essential with ideally four years industry experience.  Experience of lecturing in the field and to post experience groups also desirable.   
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module the learner will be able to:
# Learning Outcome Description
LO1 Critically appraise advanced marketing and business issues and how they resonate with the business mood and cultural awareness of late capitalism.
LO2 Critically evaluate and apply theories related to a broad range of fields: sociology, anthropology, philosophy, psychology, gender studies and cultural theory, to the field of marketing.
LO3 Develop a reflective, innovative and critical perspective to researching marketing in pluralistic and multilevel environments.
LO4 Select synthesize and apply appropriate critical marketing theory to contemporary challenges faced by organisations in a pluralistic and multi-perspectival marketing environment.
Dependencies
Module Recommendations

This is prior learning (or a practical skill) that is required before enrolment on this module. While the prior learning is expressed as named NCI module(s) it also allows for learning (in another module or modules) which is equivalent to the learning specified in the named module(s).
No recommendations listed
Co-requisite Modules
No Co-requisite modules listed
Entry requirements  
 

Module Content & Assessment

Indicative Content
Topic 1: The field of critical marketing studies
• Introduction to critical marketing studies • The postmodernist turn • Postcolonialism and subalternity • Feminist studies • Critical social marketing
Topic 2: Marketing practices in focus
• Studies of marketing work • The cultural turn • Critical advertising practices • Service dominant logic • Relationship marketing discourses • Ethical consumption • Religious critiques of markets
Topic 3: Rethinking consumers and markets
• Power relations • Non-western cultures • Choice and choicelessness • Racial stigmas • Consumer vulnerability and the production of consumer violence • The embodied consumer
Topic 4: A critical marketing turn
• Surveillance capitalism, social media and big data • Critical brand management • Social media and big data • Emancipation, gender and emotions • Biopolitical marketing and the commodification of social contexts
Assessment Breakdown%
Coursework100.00%

Assessments

Full Time

Coursework
Assessment Type: Essay % of total: 50
Assessment Date: n/a Outcome addressed: 1,2,3,4
Non-Marked: No
Assessment Description:
The purpose of this project is to allow you the opportunity to delve into and explore a critical marketing topic in a deeper way than in the course of normal course reading. Choose a theoretical topic from the course outline (any topic from section 1-4) and put together an essay that is led by a research question (set by you). Your project should critically examine the theoretical concept (e.g. feminist approaches, postcolonialism, marketing work, critical advertising, power relations, stigma, culture, consumer vulnerability, social media/big data, emancipation/gender etc.), and your set question in particular, in the context of contemporary marketing. Beyond a theoretical discussion alone, your essay should highlight examples how these issues unfold in marketing contexts and practices ‘out there’. To do that, your essay might collect insights from a wide range of popular media which refer to how companies plan, strategize and practice their marketing -with long-lasting implications. The essay should be 2500 words long (excluding references) and use at least 10 academic references (e.g. journal articles and books). The sources from popular media will be added to the set references in the reference list.
Assessment Type: Project % of total: 50
Assessment Date: n/a Outcome addressed: 1,2,3,4
Non-Marked: No
Assessment Description:
In this group-based task (small groups of 2-3), you will be given a case study to read and analyze. This assessment requires the students to look at contemporary theory and practice with regards to critical marketing issues in a real-life context. The case study will be accompanied by questions, which the students will answer in a 4000 word-project. The answer to the questions needs to be supported by academic theory related to the critical marketing issue at hand.
No End of Module Assessment
No Workplace Assessment
Reassessment Requirement
Coursework Only
This module is reassessed solely on the basis of re-submitted coursework. There is no repeat written examination.
Reassessment Description
The module must be passed. All elements must be attempted. Where a student fails to achieve an overall average of 40% across both assessment elements, they will be offered the opportunity to re-submit coursework. This module is reassessed solely on the basis of re-submitted coursework.

NCIRL reserves the right to alter the nature and timings of assessment

 

Module Workload

Module Target Workload Hours 0 Hours
Workload: Full Time
Workload Type Workload Description Hours Frequency Average Weekly Learner Workload
Lecture Classroom and demonstrations 30 Per Semester 2.50
Independent Learning Time Independent learning 95 Per Semester 7.92
Total Weekly Contact Hours 2.50
 

Module Resources

Recommended Book Resources
  • Taylor & Francis Group. (2020), The Routledge Companion to Critical Marketing, Routledge, p.528, [ISBN: 9780367656089].
  • Elaine L. Ritch,Julie McColl. (2021), New Perspectives on Critical Marketing and Consumer Society, Emerald Publishing Limited, p.324, [ISBN: 9781839095573].
Supplementary Book Resources
  • Mclaran, P., Saren, M., Goulding, C., Elliot, R. and Caterall, M.. (2007), Critical Marketing, Routledge, p.269, [ISBN: 9780750680660].
  • Mark Tadajewski,Pauline Maclaran. (2009), Critical Marketing Studies, SAGE Publications Limited, [ISBN: 9781847875709].
  • Chris Hackley. (2009), Marketing: A Critical Introduction, SAGE Publications Limited, [ISBN: 9781412911498].
  • Nick Ellis,James Fitchett,Matthew Higgins,Gavin Jack,Ming Lim,Michael Saren,Mark Tadajewski. (2010), Marketing: A critical textbook, SAGE, p.258, [ISBN: 1446243958].
  • Tadajewski, M.. (2014), What Is Critical Marketing Studies? Reading Macro, Social, and Critical Marketing Studies. In: Varey, R., Pirson, M. (eds) Humanistic Marketing. Humanism in Business Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137353290_4.
This module does not have any article/paper resources
Other Resources
  • [Other materials], Google Scholar.
  • [Other materials], Financial Times and other good quality newspapers.
  • [Other materials], Forbes and Fortune Magazines.
  • [Other materials], Journal of Macromarketing, Journal of Marketing Management, Marketing Theory, Business & Society, Economy & Society, Organization, Organization Studies.
Discussion Note: