This course examines the historical and contemporary framing of the human form in Western culture, focusing specifically on the centrality of the body in the fashion systems of the past, present and future. Various theoretical approaches will examine the role and function of the body in relevant contexts from the marketing and imaging of bodies in the fashion industry, to a consideration of dress as a material form of cultural meaning and communication that is reliant on social norms and ideologies. Identity politics, intersectionality, decolonization and an appraisal of current issues with regard to the representation of the body in contemporary fashion media will also be considered. Lecture/Lab format.Weekly Contact:Lecture 2 hrs. Lab 1 hr.GPA Weight:1.00Billing Units:1Count:1.00Prerequisites:FSN 223FFS 110 - Art and Historical ChangeCourse DescriptionAddressing Western art from the perspective of historical revivals, reformation and critique, this course will span the Renaissance to the present. Themes covered may include: Classicism in the Renaissance and the 18th Century; the Gothic revival of the Victorian period; representation, power and privilege; the politics of space; the production and consumption of art; and critiques of art history through a consideration of intersectionality and decolonization.Weekly Contact:Lecture 2 hrs. Tutorial 1 hr.GPA Weight:1.00Billing Units:1Count:1.00Antirequisites:FSN 132FFS 120 - Fashion and RaceCourse DescriptionThis course will investigate the ways in which fashioned identities emerge within a racialized context in an effort to gain access, visibility and power–bridging key concepts in fashion studies with foundations in critical race theory, as well as methodologies from disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, art history and material culture. Discussions and exercises will address topics such as (but not limited to): The history of ‘race’ and the Western beauty canon; how race sets the limitations of belonging and citizenship when it comes to dress and appearance; cultural appropriation and the boundaries of material ownership; how the business of fashion grapples with race in retail spaces, image-making and employment diversity.Weekly
This course examines the historical and contemporary framing of the human form in Western culture, focusing specifically on the centrality of the body in the fashion systems of the past, present and future. Various theoretical approaches will examine the role and function of the body in relevant contexts from the marketing and imaging of bodies in the fashion industry, to a consideration of dress as a material form of cultural meaning and communication that is reliant on social norms and ideologies. Identity politics, intersectionality, decolonization and an appraisal of current issues with regard to the representation of the body in contemporary fashion media will also be considered. Lecture/Lab format.Weekly Contact:Lecture 2 hrs. Lab 1 hr.GPA Weight:1.00Billing Units:1Count:1.00Prerequisites:FSN 223FFS 110 - Art and Historical ChangeCourse DescriptionAddressing Western art from the perspective of historical revivals, reformation and critique, this course will span the Renaissance to the present. Themes covered may include: Classicism in the Renaissance and the 18th Century; the Gothic revival of the Victorian period; representation, power and privilege; the politics of space; the production and consumption of art; and critiques of art history through a consideration of intersectionality and decolonization.Weekly Contact:Lecture 2 hrs. Tutorial 1 hr.GPA Weight:1.00Billing Units:1Count:1.00Antirequisites:FSN 132FFS 120 - Fashion and RaceCourse DescriptionThis course will investigate the ways in which fashioned identities emerge within a racialized context in an effort to gain access, visibility and power–bridging key concepts in fashion studies with foundations in critical race theory, as well as methodologies from disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, art history and material culture. Discussions and exercises will address topics such as (but not limited to): The history of ‘race’ and the Western beauty canon; how race sets the limitations of belonging and citizenship when it comes to dress and appearance; cultural appropriation and the boundaries of material ownership; how the business of fashion grapples with race in retail spaces, image-making and employment diversity.Weekly
