FYS 045 Cotton

We will consider the complex impact of textiles on our lives-from farm, to factory, to fashion, and beyond. We begin with greige goods via an historical and social understanding of the development and maintenance of the global cotton industry. From there, we move to industrial-scale embellishment of the fabric by investigating issues such as the environmental impact of dyes and the politics of prints (locally and globally). We will also have a brief introduction to the politics of fashion and the subversive artistic use of textiles. An undercurrent of long-standing labor issues weaves its way throughout this theme.

Instructor

Kimber