Sustainable Fashion: A Handbook for Educators

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be updated each week, as it will form a culmination
of words found throughout the semester. Students
alphabetize the list with definitions/explanations and source
citations for each word or phrase or name of artist, critic
or theorist. A selection of words one student had in her list
included the following: sanfordized, maquiladora, peonage,
rote, capitalism, sweatshop, anti-sweatshop movement,
reciprocal trade, vociferous, neo-liberal, trade liberalization,
economic autarky, imprimatur, industrial zones, surfeit,
fair labor standards act, industrial revolution. In addition,
students are required to generate a list of twenty facts
from the readings that may play a role in the exhibition,
which is due at the end of the semester.

All the readings and writing assignments serve as a means
to prepare the students for class discussions (as well as to
create an artwork for exhibition). Students demonstrate
their new understanding of, or attempts at understanding,
concepts and issues verbally in class. While some students
may have strong opinions about issues, others may
continue to grapple with the complex issues in an attempt
at reconciling conflicted feelings. It is important that the
course meetings should be viewed as a forum to express a
struggle as well as strong opinions.

Over the semester, it is the educator’s responsibility to do
her best to engage each student in the discussions. This
may be accomplished in a number of ways. The teacher
may designate a student each week to be responsible for
initiating and conducting discussion on assigned readings.
With this approach, discussion leaders should post
questions on the group email list before class. Alternatively,
students may simply take turns answering questions during
class, or the teacher may initiate a more free-flowing, open
discussion, asking individual students to participate as
needed. The teacher may also incorporate brainstorming/
role playing activities to inspire critical thought and
conversations.

During the UNL course, an effective exercise included an
interactive brainstorming/role playing exercise between
a manufacturer/factory owner, consumer, and laborer.
The class was divided into small groups, and each group
was assigned a role. Students generated drawings and
diagrams addressing significant concepts from each of these
viewpoints. The goal of the exercise was to examine the
different priorities of manufacturer compared to a laborer
and a consumer, and to discover the tensions between

those key interests. The drawings were shared with the

class as a whole and served as a point of departure for

developing ideas for the exhibition project.

To augment and facilitate class discussion, it is important

that students use the available internet course delivery

system provided by the institution as a vehicle for

communication. This is good for posting questions and

papers, sharing websites and resources in general, and

ultimately for communicating timely information related to

the exhibition installation. The UNL class used a delivery

system called Blackboard. In doing so, there were 43 posts

by five of the eight students enrolled in the seminar.

crEatIVE coMponEnt dEVElopMEnt

As the students complete the reading, writing, and

discussion exercises, they grapple with complex issues

while considering a form of expression to embody and

reflect their ideas. Towards the middle of the course, the

reading and writing assignments begin to diminish and

students will utilize more time outside of class to reach

the second goal of the course: to express resulting views

and opinions via a creative object or installation. Students

achieve this by preparing sketches, prototypes, models,

or drawings to present to the class. They use class time

discussing, brainstorming ideas and determining a group art

installation to be exhibited.

The process of creating a group installation requires

communication, compromise, and consideration of the

gallery space as a whole. During this process various group

dynamics come into play, as at least partial consensus needs

to be reached. The artwork to be exhibited is determined

by the class with the educator serving as curator guiding

and critiquing the students in the class setting. Once the

artwork/installation is conceptualized, the class needs to

determine the corresponding roles of the students and the

time frame with regard to creation of the artwork.

At UNL, the students created four group installations

and one individual installation, and included multiple walls

displaying supporting material including images and text.

Generally, the students all participated in the creative

process, with one or two students taking on more

managerial roles.

cross-currIcular