83341 Fashion Intersections
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Credit points: 6 cp
Subject level:
Undergraduate
Result type: Grade and marksRequisite(s): 83119 Thinking Fashion AND 83231 Fashion Cultures AND 85502 Researching Design Histories AND 85503 Thinking Through Design
Description
Fashion is an expanding field of practice and research inquiry that maps continually renewed understandings of fundamental human motivations and the societal structures that support and constrain them. Fashion is made not only of things (that is, a commodity or object produced within a fashion system) but also about and because of things (a phenomena or representation). Fashion is frequently about identity, about culture and sometimes meaningfully critiques itself. Increasingly, critical fashion practice exists in the virtual realm and in curated spaces, intersecting with art, media and other forms of cultural production.
At the present historic juncture of significant global challenges— such as those posed by climate change, impacts of globalisation and the information revolution, social and economic inequality, the loss of traditional knowledge — critical theories of fashion continue to explain and defend the practice and products of fashion. There are many valid and important ways to learn about both Western-style clothing and non-Western dress and textiles practices which centre on the value of tacit knowledge. Those who have chosen to undertake a fashion and textiles degree at university have the added opportunity to learn skills in critical thinking, research and English-language academic writing conventions, including referencing of scholarly sources, as they explore their own relationship to creative practice.
Fashion Intersections is the core second year subject of the Bachelor of Design in Fashion and Textiles degree in which students have this opportunity. Students first learn about how contemporary fashion theory frameworks are made at intersections between other scholarly fields including, but not limited to: art history and theory; curatorial studies; photography, film and media studies; cultural studies; feminist, queer and gender studies; studies of decoloniality; sociology; and postmodernist philosophy. Supported by a team of expert tutors, students then develop an understanding of how contemporary fashion practice intersects with other creative forms as they explore their researched ideas in a proposal for a self-devised exhibition-making project.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
| 1. | Research, source and debate ideas as the basis for informed design development. |
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| 2. | Analyse and interpret information to inform new avenues of personal research. |
| 3. | Explore creative interpretation of ideas into design solutions. |
| 4. | Explore a wide range of references to inform individual design practice. |
| 5. | Present appropriate visual and written representation of ideas and designs. |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes to the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:
- Demonstrated understanding of appropriate academic and professional practice in the acknowledgement of others' work and ideas (A.3)
- Demonstrate an ability to speculate, experiment, challenge boundaries and take risks (I.2)
- Demonstrate self-directed learning and self-initiated problem-solving (P.1)
- Accuracy, rigour and care (P.5)
- Ability to critically evaluate ethical practices including the protection of Indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights across fashion and textile projects and industry (P.6)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
The term CAPRI is used for the five Design, Architecture and Building (DAB) faculty graduate attribute categories where:
C = communication and group work
A = attitudes and values
P = practical and professional
R = research and critique
I = innovation and creativity.
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs) are linked to these categories using codes (e.g. C-1, A-3, P-4, etc.).
Teaching and learning strategies
This subject has been designed to support learning in design research, where there are both conceptual and practical implications. There is a focus on incremental development of critical thinking, writing skills and a self-defined understanding of praxis in design thinking (the exchange between design theory and practice).
A series of one-hour weekly lectures introduce students to a range of contemporary theoretical concepts and historical examples, with preparatory readings available on Canvas. Concepts are discussed in depth during two-hour weekly studio sessions, where critique is a core pedagogy. Students originate their research topic, develop their own ideas with support from tutors, and respond to informed social analysis and feedback, all of which contributes to the assessment tasks.
Students are expected to attend and lecture sessions and immersive site visits to galleries and museums, engage with weekly readings, and to independently prepare research to discuss in studio during formative feedback sessions. Assessment tasks follow suggested progress patterns and offer opportunity for further reflection. They also allow for diversity in research topics and self-directed inquiry.
Teaching & learning strategies are supported through:
- dialogic and social learning opportunities, including weekly discussion of timely issues in fashion informed by students’ individual and group scholarly research
- critical reading activated through students' response to questions, prompts and structured research activities, extended through self-directed investigation
- independent research skills developed through engagement with UTS Library, including librarian-assisted independent research workshop
Ongoing formative (verbal) feedback from tutors takes place in studio sessions as students’ projects develop. Summative (written) feedback takes place in Review, when completed tasks (submitted via Canvas) are assessed for marking.
In studio sessions, students also receive formative feedback from peers. This group work offers a dialogic learning opportunity to support debate and intensify the practice of critique. Weekly tasks offer a balance between individual and group work and include:
- independent/self-directed research and creative resolution
- social discussion and peer feedback
- opportunities for reflective responses to formative feedback
Content (topics)
The subject covers the following main topic areas:
- An introduction to foundational fashion theory concepts and contemporary critical fashion frameworks.
- Scholarly fashion research and academic writing in English, including referencing of sources (APA 7th edition style).
- Ethical and other implications of cultural, social and individual difference for critical fashion practitioners.
- The expanding relationship between fashion theory, fashion practice and fashion-adjacent creative practices, most specifically exhibition-making.
- The role of reflective and speculative design thinking in the development of a research-led fashion and textiles practice.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Essay
| Intent: | This assessment task assists students to increase their knowledge and understanding of theoretical fashion research, and how it underpins contemporary fashion practice. In this task, students engage with critical analysis of key concepts in fashion theory and other academic disciplines, and synthesise these to create a unique argument on a timely fashion-related topic of their choice. Students should draw upon a range of scholarly sources, including book chapters and peer reviewed journal articles, to support their claims, and reference both these and all relevant non-scholarly sources (e.g. fashion journalism, criticism and reviews) according to APA 7th edition conventions. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 2, 4 and 5 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): A.3, I.2, P.1 and P.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Essay | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 50% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 1500 words, excluding references. Document should be formatted in Times New Roman, 12 pt double spaced, with numbered pages. Submissions may include up to 4 referenced supporting images. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: Exhibition-making proposal (creative project)
| Intent: | In this task, students’ build upon their Assessment 1 research in order to explore their own ideas as they increase their knowledge and understanding of research-led, fashion-adjacent creative practice as they self-devise a hypothetical exhibition gallery/museum exhibition. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): A.3, I.2, P.1, P.5 and P.6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Project | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 50% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Minimum requirements
The DAB attendance policy requires students to attend no less than 80% of formal teaching sessions (lectures and tutorials) for each class they are enrolled in to remain eligible for assessment.
Required texts
Weekly Readings will be avaliable on Canvas.
Other resources
UTS APA 7th Interactive Referencing Guide: https://www.uts.edu.au/sites/default/files/article/downloads/UTS%20Interactive%20APA%20guide.pdf