This course enables students to think critically and creatively about the research and application of textile and dress history in a range of contexts. It includes an introduction to the history and nature of dress and textile collections, as well as the curation, preservation and interpretation of such artefacts in a variety of cultural heritage contexts. Students will develop professional skills of benefit to their future careers, with a particular emphasis on research and those wishing to work in museums or with historic collections.

8 x 1 hour lecture

8 x 1 hour seminar

2 x 2 hour study trips over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus

None

None

The standard assessments for this course are:

■ Commentary (1,500 words) - 30%

■ Exhibition Proposal (3,000 words) - 50%

■ Group Presentation (10 mins) - 20%

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:

■ There is no alternative to the commentary, but a flexible deadline can be offered as reasonable adjustments (students should follow the usual process for extensions)

■ There is no alternative to the exhibition proposal, but a flexible deadline can be offered as reasonable adjustments (students should follow the usual process for extensions)

■ Student contribution to the presentation written up as a script of equivalent length as an alternative to the group presentation

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.

This course aims to:

■ examine professional practices in the research and curation of dress and textiles

■ explore practices in the collecting, interpretation and preventive conservation of dress and textiles and gain insights into the need to balance access and preservation

■ familiarize students with approaches to communicating ideas and knowledge about dress and textile histories in public contexts (museums / virtual media / design)

■ explore how ideas and knowledge gathered through dress and textile object-based research can be applied in different contexts.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ evaluate and critique dress and textiles exhibitions and other public outcomes of research

■ evaluate and debate the need to balance the provision of access to collections with the need to preserve them

■ produce sustained arguments in both written and oral form based on a variety of visual and textual evidence relating to approaches to professional practices in research, curation and interpretation of dress and textiles