Fashion is a major, very tangible part of our daily lives, yet it was not taken seriously as a field deserving of academic inquiry until fairly recently. In this cross-cultural and interdisciplinary course, students will be introduced to the history, theory, and ethical debates surrounding the fashion system. Students will examine both text-based and material culture sources that expand upon and subvert the traditional Western narratives that have dominated scholarship. This course will explore a desultory set of seemingly unrelated topics, among them: the evolution of silhouettes through time, social issues in fashion, major developments in design and materials, and the industry's role in the climate crisis. Exploring these themes, students will consider two seemingly simple, yet surprisingly complicated questions: what is fashion? and how can we use it as a lens through which to understand ourselves and society?
- Teacher: Doris Domoszlai-Lantner