90979 - English for Fashion

Academic Year 2022/2023

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Rimini
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Fashion Studies (cod. 9067)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will have good knowledge of the English language giving special attention to the specific language for the fashion industry. - S/he will know the field-specific terminology, will be familiar with the literature (books, journals, etc.) of this sector, will be able to produce texts related to fashion and communicate orally with fashion professionals. Moreover, students are given the opportunity to develop their research competence and oral presentation skills.

Course contents

The course is intended for first-year students of Fashion Studies -FAST- (international two-year master) who need to communicate in English for their studies and jobs in fashion. Its main purpose is to improve translation and critical reading of English texts, and to encourage discussions and reflections on themes relevant to fashion.

To help students understand specific texts of the fashion sector and fashion studies linguistic and textual analysis of practical documents will be the main activity carried out.

The topics of the course will cover garment design and construction, fashion trends and future predictions.

Lessons will be held in English and partly in Italian for the translations.

Within the framework of Special Lessons, scholars and professionals are invited to hold seminars that students must attend.

Readings/Bibliography

for the final exam students will be tested on the following texts, films and assignments:

Syllabus 2023:

  • drawings (Evening Wear and Bridal Wear 1955-59, Accessories 1970-74 and Underwear 1975-79)
  • and 2 designers (the first 2 designers Balenciaga, Dolce & Gabbana).

(Pls note: we will use the Reader starting from the FIRST LECTURE; the Reader will be available starting from November 14th at Cartoleria Tecnica, Via Dante, 30 - ph: 0541 52 414)

  • Marnie Fogg, Fashion Design Directory, Firefly 2011 /Thames & Hudson, 2011 (Pls note: the part of this book required for the exam is contained in the Reader 2022)

(the Italian version of Marnie Fogg, Fashion Design Directory, La Moda dalla A alla Z, Atlante, 2012 and 2020, is recommended for students who have difficulties in translating from English into Italian part of the Reader on the descriptions of fashion designers and their creations).

- Dizionario della moda (inglese-italiano, italiano-inglese), Mariella Lorusso, Zanichelli, Bologna 2017

- Vogue On Elsa Schiaparelli, Judith Watt, Quadrille Publishing, London 2012

- "The Global ‘Wordrobe’. Ethnic Counter-Conquest in the Language of Fashion", Mariella Lorusso, ZMJ vol. 9.2, 2019 [https://zmj.unibo.it/article/view/9967]

 

- Two films THE TRUE COST and BLOOD DIAMONDS

 

- THE TRUE COST by Andrew Morgan, Livia Firth (Bangladesh, USA, Cambodia, Cina, Danimarca, Francia, Haiti, India, Italia, Uganda, Regno Unito 2016, 92’

- BLOOD DIAMONDS, by Edward Zwick, 2007



Teaching methods

Lectures, teacher-led discussion and assignments. Interaction with students, presentations, and role-play simulations.

Assessment methods

Depending on the epidemiological emergency from covid-19, the exam will take place online.

 

 

The final exam consists of a multiple choice / true-false written questionnaire: it will evaluate field-specific terminology and the ability of the student to understand and write about literature (books, journals, etc.) of this sector. The questionnaire will include:

- Vogue On Elsa Schiaparelli;

- Syllabus 2023;

- "The Global ‘Wordrobe’. Ethnic Counter-Conquest in the Language of Fashion", Mariella Lorusso, ZMJ vol. 9.2, 2019 [https://zmj.unibo.it/article/view/9967]

- two films: The True Cost and Blood Diamonds

 

No difference between Attending and Non-attending students:

  • written questionnaire (16 questions, 10 minutes)
  • oral exam only in case students wish to improve the result obtained in the written questionnaire, they will have the opportunity to take an oral exam. In this case, the minimum mark obtained in the written questionnaire must be 26 and a single final mark will be given based on the average of the two marks obtained in the written exam and the oral exam. The oral exam consists in a presentation on topics related to the decolonization of fashion, cultural appropriation, indigenous fashion designers.
  • Students who sign up for the exam are kindly asked to cancel their name if they decide not to sit the exam or are unable to do so. Your cooperation is essential to guarantee optimal organisation of the exams and to ensure that students who are present do not have to wait unnecessarily.

PLS NOTE: students may refuse the mark obtained only once and should write an email to inform the teacher within one day.

PLS NOTE: The exam will be delivered via Platform EOL Unibo and log in through TEAMS (instructions at Unibo website or contact our tutor Prof. Stefano Zappi: stefano.zappi2@unibo.it).

 

Evaluation criteria will consider the following 3 aspects of the student’s performance: contents fidelity, language quality and quality of writing.

Marks will be attributed as follows (the main criteria are indicated here):

 

Insufficient E

0- 18

Contents: inadequate due to poor logico-semantic coherence, false meanings and countersense, frequent additions and/or omissions

Language: serious errors concerning, spelling, grammar, syntax, lexicon

Writing: illogical, it lacks basic parts (introduction, body paragraphs, or conclusion)

 

Sufficient D

18-20

Contents: just adequate with minor false meanings, omissions, additions, local lack of coherence

Language: minor errors concerning spelling, grammar, syntax, lexicon, which don’t affect comprehension

Writing: includes an introduction, thesis or objective, paragraph divisions, and conclusion, lack of interferences

 

Fairly good C

21-23

Contents: adequate despite inaccuracies, generalizations, minor additions and/or omissions

Language: minor errors concerning spelling, grammar, syntax, lexicon, which don’t affect comprehension. Adequate lexical choices and register

Writing: develops the thesis or objective with at least some relevant details, is organized in a pattern that is, for the most part, clear to the reader and appropriate to the thesis or objective, lack of interferences

 

Good B

24- 27

Contents: very adequate despite a few inaccuracies; generally coherent and complete

Language: correct spelling, grammar, syntax, appropriate lexicon and register

Writing: supports the thesis or objective with well-reasoned arguments supported by specific, concrete, and appropriate details, is effectively organized in a pattern appropriate to the thesis or objective, lack of interferences, self-confident and pleasant

 

Excellent

28-30L A

Contents: very adequate; complete, coherent and accurate

Language: correct spelling, grammar, syntax, appropriate lexicon and register

Writing: original and thoughtful insight about the work under discussion, thoroughly develops the thesis or objective with well-reasoned arguments supported by specific, concrete, and appropriate details, is organized in a pattern appropriate to the thesis or objective. The organization is clear, logical, and apparent. Lack of interferences, self-confident and pleasant, very adequate.

Teaching tools

PC, Wi-Fi, online TEAMS platform, video/DVD projector, overhead projector

Office hours

See the website of Mariella Lorusso