AHSE1148 Dirt to Shirt: Global Garments in Context
This course is an intensive study of the global supply chain for clothing. It examines social, economic, political, environmental, and technological issues all along the supply chain. This includes historical and contemporary production of components such as cotton, wool, and Kevlar; textile processing and garment production; and the after-life of the clothes we dispose of. The class will include readings, discussions, and engagement with multimedia sources; first-person contact with local people involved in the industry; and student projects on a chosen node of the supply chain. The course is multidisciplinary, but centered in cultural anthropology. In anthropology, empathy is a means to understanding, and a central premise of the course is the need to develop empathy. This class takes an empathetic approach to people and activities all along the global garments supply chain.