FYS 165 Stories in the Cloth
In this course, students will compare the connections between fabric and words. Are words the only way to tell a story? Is there a difference between “writing” a story and “making” a story? We will explore the historical, multicultural, and gendered roots that merge language arts with textile arts (i.e., quilting, embroidery, etc.), arguing that both are figures of speech. In addition to assigned readings and in-class discussion, students will examine the above questions through hands-on “making” (writing and sewing). By semester’s end, each student will have a portfolio of writing and a handful of small, hand-sewn objects. Every good artist conducts a dialogue between concrete practices and thinking; this dialogue evolves into sustaining habits, and these habits establish a rhythm between problem-solving and problem-finding. Students will work with both words and fabrics. No previous sewing or creative writing experience necessary.