FA 2022 FA 22

Textiles in Contexts

No obligatory attendence

7.5 credits

Part-time 25%, Mixed times

Autumn 2022

Tuition fee

Course syllabus and literature (PDF)

Applications close

2022-04-19

Late applications

Application information

This course introduces and investigates the roles of textiles in various historical, present-day, and perhaps future contexts, including: -textiles in the pre-modern era, -textiles as an agent of globalization, -textiles as the embodiment of belief systems, -textiles as the foundation of capitalism and industrialization, -textiles as a political tool, -textiles in the context of sustainable development, -and textiles as human aesthetic expression. The course provides a means for students to orient their practice in design, marketing, and management of fashion and furnishings in relationship to larger issues, meanings, and mindsets.

Human-made textiles are documented to be at least 30,000 years old and speculated to be several million years old. This course begins with a brief overview of the physical properties of fibers and fabrics but focuses on how textiles have shaped human development and functioned in various social, economic, and cultural contexts from pre-history to today. Textiles have been and remain important manifestations of status, belief and religious systems; agents of technological innovation and globalization; foundations for capitalism, industrialization, and modern economic development; political agents for transformation; and treasuries of both mundane and sublime aesthetic expression.