Course Catalog

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GLOBAL FASHION AND DESIGN (CM2110)

We will investigate Paris and question it in relation to global fashion. How are Paris as a fashion city and its key figure La Parisienne discursively constructed? How are fashionable commodities produced, mediated, consumed? These questions will be analyzed in lectures, seminars, research projects, exhibition visits and excursions, and by making extensive use of film in addition to other visual media and textual sources.

FASHION SYSTEMS & SUSTAINABILITY (CM2111)

This course aims to challenge existing notions of fashion by looking into several fashion systems - past and present - and engage with their social,economic, cultural and environmental impact. Systems of textiles and fashion revolve around numerous processes and actors, which are involved in complex chains from design, production, and distribution to consumption and use. Ready to wear, haute couture, fast, bespoke, vintage, slow or circular fashion - are some of the models operating on a global and local scale, all of which produce and market fashionable goods and ideas.
This course critically explores these different spaces and places of fashion.
We will begin with historical examples, especially looking at the effects of the Industrial Revolution and imperialism on textile production in Europe and globally in the 19th century. We will also discuss the establishment of Paris as the "capital of Western fashion" to the present day. Paris has been instrumental in the development of a globalized fashion system with wide-ranging effects on the environment and the living conditions of workers in the Global South.Exploring the life cycle of a garment will allow us to reflect on manufacturing processes and engage with sustainable practices such as upcycling, mending, and reuse. This course will encourage the rethinking of fashion systems under a holistic approach, one that reduces the footprint on raw materials and communities and fosters environmental responsibility and equity. Grounded in theory and practice, this course encourages critical discussions on fashion through lectures, research projects, visits,and guest talks, making extensive use of visual media and textual sources.

FASHION MATERIALS & PROCESSES (CM2112)

This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the world of materials, especially textiles, and their central role in designing, producing and experiencing fashion. Students will learn to identify materials and techniques, relying on historical and contemporary examples from all over the world, focusing on their properties and applications in fashion design.
This course is devised as an immersion into the materiality of fashion, exploring fibers, raw materials, dyes, textiles, finishes, and garment construction. It will also address pattern making, surface ornamentation, textile design, and the different stages of collection design. Issues of production and labor, functionality, seasonality and sustainability will also be integral to class discussions.
Combining object-based study, textile and garment analysis, and hands-on activities, this course will engage students in thinking critically about the different making processes and materials of fashion and the artisans and producers behind them. Through lectures, seminars, and site visits, and extensive use of literary, visual and film sources, students will gain insights into how fashion is made from start to finish.

TOPICS IN COMMUNICATIONS (CM2910)

TOPICS VARY BY SEMESTER

TOPICS IN GLOBAL COMMS (CM2910)

Topics vary by semester

COMMUNICATING FASHION (CM3004)

Explores what happens when dress and grooming become the basis for the modern phenomena of fashion. Studies the historical development of fashion: how fashion relates to the emergence of artistic, social, and economic forms and the ways fashion communicates ideas about status, gender, or culture. Investigates the role of media, advertising and marketing in the global fashion industry.

PUBLIC RELATIONS & SOCIETY (CM3005)

The course outlines different types, practices, and principles of public relations. It looks at some key frameworks and developments in PR theory and practice, offering a straightforward combination of theory and case studies. In an increasingly global context, it is also imperative to take into account the international and intercultural perspectives of PR.

COMPARATIVE POLITICAL COMMUNICATION (CM3011)

This course provides an overview of political communication theories, modes, means and institutions and serves as an introduction to how communication scholars study politics and the media. We will cover prevalent political communication theories and trends, the relationship between political institutions and the press both in the US and in other countries, elections, debates, political campaigning and advertising, new media and politics, political socialization, education, politics and popular culture.

FEATURE AND INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM (CM3012)

An advanced feature-writing workshop focused on techniques for long-form and investigative journalism. Students will gain experience in story ideas, researching, interview techniques, structuring feature articles. Emphasis will be placed on researching and data gathering for in-depth magazine and investigative reporting. This workshop will develop writing skills for careers in magazine style and investigative journalism on subjects selected by students. Articles can be published on the Peacock Plume website.