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sustaInaBlE FashIon : a handBooK For Educators
IntroductIon
This paper outlines how to develop, structure and
implement a semester-long graduate-level course called
“Globalization and Labor in Textiles”. The course has been
taught once in the fall of 2007 at the Textiles, Clothing,
and Design Department at the University of Nebraska-
Lincoln (UNL). It was implemented in the context of a
Design Issues and Perspectives graduate-level seminar. This
paper provides others access to a successful framework
for a similar class based on how the course was actually
taught as well as student feedback. A sample syllabus and
photos from the exhibitions are available online at http://
fashioninganethicalindustry.org/teachingresources/global
The Globalization and Labor in Textiles course integrates
theory and practice, and consists of three primary
components, which are outlined in this paper :
- Reading/research, writing and discussion.
- Creative object/installation development.
- Exhibition development.
This combination and varied source materials are used to
enhance the students’ understanding of the subject and
enable them to form and articulate their opinions.
The primary goals of the course are to:
- Gain insight into global issues in relation to how
garments are manufactured and the experiences of the
people who make the clothes we wear. - Express resulting views and opinions by creating
artwork/a group installation. - Learn aspects of exhibition development and
management.
The grading system is as follows:
Reading and writing: 50%
Attendance of outside of class events plus reflection
paper : 5%
Group gallery installation project and individual production
of art objects: 40%
Explanatory text and didactic material to accompany the
show: 5%
rEadIng/rEsEarch, wrItIng and dIscussIon
The readings for the course encompass the recent history
of textiles and apparel production and labor, as well as
critical and theoretical writing on the industry as outlined in
the reading list. The reading, writing, and discussion should
enable students to reach the first goal of the class: to gain
insight into global issues in relation to how garments are
manufactured and the experiences of the people who
make the clothes we wear.The readings include case studies of the Alternative Trade
Movement and individuals representing alternative business
models. Speakers attend the class to provide students
with a direct experience relating to these issues and
alternatives to mass production. Speakers who attended
the UNL class included Teresa Victor from the Tapetes de
Lana, a tapestry weaving gallery specializing in handwoven
textiles made from natural fiber yarns spun in the Sangre
de Cristo Mill using wools that are grown regionally. Other
visitors to the class were Patricia Stoddard (via conference
call) of http://www.ralliquilt.com/ who works with artisans
through the internet and correspondence; and Mary
King who discussed the Arghand Cooperative, a non-
profit cooperative that distributes hand-crafted products,
primarily soaps, from Afghanistan.Students are asked to write reflection essays or create
reflection artwork in response to the speakers, and to
complete assigned readings and writing assignments on a
weekly basis as outlined on the class syllabus. Early in the
semester, the assignments are more involved and require
a larger number of lengthy and in-depth article summaries.
In conjunction with the increased work relating to the
object/installation and exhibition development later in the
semester, the reading and writing expectations decrease
and abstracts are required to fulfill the writing assignments.As the semester progresses and the students develop
specialized areas of research, they are encouraged to
conduct original research on the topics at hand and to
share them with the class. In doing so, they may substitute
alternative related readings with the educator’s permission.Students maintain a list of vocabulary because of the
challenging and specialized nature of the readings, which
introduce new concepts, worldviews, and ways of thinking
about culture, history, trade and art/design. This list should