Catalog Description
- Transfer Status
- CSU
- Unit(s)
- 3.00
- Lecture: 51.00 Contact hours/102.00 Out of class hours/153.00 Total hours/3.00 Unit(s)
- Total: 51.00 Contact hours/102.00 Out of class hours/153.00 Total hours/3.00 Unit(s)
Course Description: This course introduces students to the history of clothing and costume including the influence of historic attire on current fashion apparel. The course examines the impacts of social class, religion and political conditions on expression through dress.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:
- Classify and compare the specific characteristics of costume from various periods.
- Describe and analyze the development, origin, and interrelationship of various clothing styles in relation to their specific cultures and purposes during that time of history when they were most popular.
- Identify the key characteristics of fashion in a variety of historic periods, and analyze the influence historic fashions have on modern style.
- Examine the social, political, religious, and economic conditions of different historic periods as they relate to clothing.
Course Content
Topic Titles / Suggested Time Topic
Lecture
| Topics | Lec Hrs |
|---|---|
Introduction/Orientation | 1.00 |
The Ancient Middle East (c. 3500 – 600 B.C.) | 2.00 |
Crete and Greece (c. 2900 – 300 B.C.) | 2.00 |
Etruria and Rome (c. 800 B.C. – A.D. 400)) | 2.00 |
The Early Middle Ages (c. 300 – 1300) | 2.00 |
The Late Middle Ages (c. 1300 – 1500) | 3.00 |
The Italian Renaissance (c. 1400 – 1600) | 3.00 |
The Northern Renaissance (c. 1500 – 1600) | 3.00 |
The Seventeenth Century (1600 – 1700) | 3.00 |
The Eighteenth Century (1700 – 1790) | 3.00 |
The Directoire Period and the Empire Period (1790 – 1820) | 3.00 |
The Romantic Period (1820 – 1850) | 3.00 |
The Crinoline Period (1850 – 1869) | 3.00 |
The Bustle Period and the Nineties (1870 – 1900) | 3.00 |
The Edwardian Period and World War I (1900 – 1920) | 3.00 |
The Twenties, Thirties, and World War II (1920 – 1947) | 3.00 |
The New Look: Fashion Conformity Prevails (1947 – 1960) | 3.00 |
The Sixties and Seventies: Style Tribes Emerge (1960 - 1980) | 3.00 |
The Eighties, the Nineties, and the Twenty-First Century (1980 – Present) | 3.00 |
| Total Hours: | 51.00 |
Methods of Instruction
- Demonstrations
- Discussion
- Field Trips
- Homework: Students are required to complete two hours of outside-of-class homework for each hour of lecture
- Lecture
- Multimedia Presentations
Methods of Evaluation
- Exams/Tests
- Research Projects
- Homework
- Journal
- Written Assignments
Examples of Assignments
Reading Assignments
- Read the chapter on Egyptian Costume in the ”Survey of Historic Costume” text. Be prepared to discuss the elements of Egyptian costume, and participate in a hands-on activity to create and wear ancient Egyptian garments.
- Read the chapter on Post World War II and New Look Fashion, included in the “Survey of Historic Costume” text. Be prepared to discuss the characteristics of post WWII fashions and the socio-political influences upon fashion at that time, and how these differ from those of the 1920’s, 1930’s and WWII.
Writing Assignments
- Write a 5-7 page paper about the clothing of an historical era of your choice, and include discussion of the textile technologies, political, social, artistic, economic aspects of the period.
- Write a 4 page paper about the costumes developed for a period film of your choice. Assess the overall quality of the costumes, and their historical accuracy based on your research.
Out-of-Class Assignments
- Research the clothing of an historical era as well as the work of current designers to find examples that have been influenced by that period. Create a presentation with images that compare and contrast the historic garments with those of the present.
- Summarize your experience during the field trip to a theatre costume shop and report on some of the aspects of costuming and garments that are unique to theater, or costume preservation.
Recommended Materials of Instruction
Tortora, P. & Marcketti, S. (2015). Survey of Historic Costume: A History of Western Dress. Fairchild Books, 6th.
Turner Wilcox, R. (2008). The Mode in Costume: A Historical Survey with 202 Plates. Courier Dover Publications, 1st.
Boucher, F. (1987). 20,000 Years of Fashion: The History of Costume and Personal Adornment. Harry N. Abrams Publishing, 3rd.
DK Publishing. (2019). Fashion: The Definitive Hisgtory of Costume and Style. DK Publishing, 2nd.
Minimum Qualifications
Family & Cons Study/Home Ec
Fashion & Related Technologies