FA4007 - What is Fashion? Historical and Critical Studies

In this module you will learn through engaging in critical debate, reflecting on your understanding of historical fashion and contemporary fashion practice to encourage enquiry-based learning.

Teaching and learning strategies in Fashion Design encourage you to acquire a flexible and imaginative approach to creative problem solving: to think divergently and to develop your ability to articulate concepts and ideas through research rich enquiry based learning. Students become active participants through academic and intellectual skills.

Cultural, historical and critical studies provide context to the subject discipline developing knowledge and insight into your own personal practice within a social, moral and ethical setting. You will learn through a series of taught lecture sessions, outlining the main concepts relating to the main themes and developments of fashion history and contextualising fashion in relation to changes in wider society. Lectures will be supported by seminars and tutorials to help you to discuss and engage with the concepts, examples and ideas raised in the lectures.

This teaching and learning strategy enables a deep understanding of the subject area beginning with underlying skills and principles progressing through the programme/s to fully autonomous learning.

• The project is introduced at a briefing session, where it is fully explained and explored by both staff and students.
• A named lead Module Tutor manages the module monitoring input from academics across the Faculty of Art, Design and Social Sciences.
• The lead Module Tutor and the academic teaching team direct lecture and studio based practice through illustrated lectures, seminars and group work. Academics are available to answer queries in relation to the module during timetabled studio sessions.
• Studio tutorials provide formal feedback on your understanding of issues identified for study and your progression on the module and offer direction on how to develop your work further, including guidance for student-led independent learning; reading, research and reflective writing.
• Learning materials for this module are available on the University eLearning Portal, including the module documentation, announcements, presentations, reading list and timetable.
• Accessing computer facilities, garment archives and library resources.
• TEL: eLearning Portal, digital reading lists, presentations via Panopto, Prezi.
• Professional Practice: Preparation for Industrial Placement or study abroad in level 5 of the programme.
• English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) is available for international students.
• Students requiring additional support are advised to contact their Guidance Tutor for advice, who will be able to refer them to the relevant university services for specialist support regarding their personal circumstances.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

On successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Demonstrate your awareness of historical, cultural and contemporary issues through the investigation of fashion and realised through written essay and report.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
2. Identify, review and discuss design related issues or topics in a scholarly manner as evidenced through learning activities.

3. Evidence awareness of writing styles, content and debate in the writing of a report.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

5. Form independent judgement from the views of others and begin to articulate reasoned arguments in response to their feedback.

6. Evidence your communication skills in fashion through one or more of the following channels; written, visual, oral.

Assessment will be conducted through:

Formative feedback received from tutors and peers during seminar, studio and workshop engagement.

Formal formative feedback
Tutorials will be timetabled at the end of semester 1, assessment week 1, to hold a formal formative tutorial to provide feedback and will informally record academic progress.

Summative assessment
By collecting a variety of evidence/outputs from the learner via multiple dimensions (coursework, observations, presentations, etc.) tutors will assess the learners overall performance holistically with a single grade in multiple components in semester 2, week 12.

Verbal feedback will be provided from peers
and academic staff.

Assessment
Part A: Design report requiring critical reflection on how fashion industry will affect student’s own practice.
KU1, IPSA3, PVA5 and PVA6

Part B: essay of 1000 words relating to
Historical and Critical studies in fashion.
KU1, IPSA2, PVA5 and PVA6.

Other
Additional forms of assessment practice may take place within projects in the form of peer assessment/self assessment which may contribute to the overall module outcome.

N/A

N/A

Please find details of this module in the other sections provided.

In this module, you will explore the question: What is fashion? This research-rich year- long module encourages you to immerse yourself in the world of fashion, past and present. It endeavours to be a broad introduction to fashion studies.

With specialist Fashion, Historical and Critical lecturers you will learn about particular themes and developments in the history of western fashion design since c.1800: exploring influential designers and placing fashion in the social and cultural contexts of the time through a series of illustrated lectures supported by seminars. Your visual vocabulary will expand through the development of your knowledge of fashion design history, and enable you to take inspiration from the design of the past to apply to your own work in parallel module ‘Introduction to Fashion Design’.

You will also be introduced to how the industry works through a fundamental exploration of topics such as; global context and the fashion year, cultural context and trend prediction, fashion in the media, types of garment manufacturers, market segments and the retailer, digital designing and e-portfolios, colour, fibres to fabrics, the fashion cycle and responsible design practices. On completion of the module you will have gained a critical understanding of the key aspects of how the industry works, which you can relate to your own practice as a designer.

Hands-on analysis will help you develop study skills relevant to fashion design practice, including library and archival research, visual fashion communication and presentation skills. You will gain the ability to conduct critical visual analysis and research of fashion design practice and the confidence to articulate clearly your viewpoints in speech and writing.