Dressing the World, Theory and Practice through 2000 Years

Dressing the World, Theory and Practice through 2000 Years

Monday 14th to Friday 25th August 2023

An interdisciplinary summer school in Archaeology, History, European Ethnology at the SAXO Institute, University of Copenhagen

Textiles and fashion are essential aspects of the human condition. We dress, appear and communicate through fabrics and other kinds of bodily adornments. Over the course of time, we have changed our practices for the production, mediation and the use of textiles and fashion, as well as theories through which we conceive and perceive them. Dressing the World summer school provides a survey of the history of textile and fashion from prehistoric times to the present day in the geographical areas of Scandinavia, Europe and globally. The course focuses on different historic and cultural theories, with an emphasis on critical and analytical approaches to the field and, in the wider context, and explores the entanglement of textile and fashion in characterising cultures and societies. The summer school course is taught by excellent researchers, who survey textiles and fashion from antiquity to the present day. These demonstrate the pioneering, interdisciplinary approach, which puts the Centre for Textile Research at the forefront of textile and fashion scholarship. In each module, there will be offered a specialist syllabus of literature and other course material related to dress and textiles, supported by readings from classic works of theory and methods. Students will be introduced to the analysis of textiles and textile technology and how new scientific methods and theoretical approaches can be applied to textile research and fashion studies. The summer school is composed of six interlinked modules, which interweave the themes of textile techniques and craft, cloth cultures, textile history and technology, new analytical tools from the sciences used in the humanities, and the interpretation of the multiple meanings of dress and fashion in society, as markers of status, identity and power, or as gendered gifts. Hands-on textile craft experiences are integrated in the course every day.

Application deadlines

  • First round: 1 April
  • Second round: 1 June (after availability, and only for students enrolled at the Faculty of Humanities/UCPH)

 

 

 

Students must apply by 1 April by submitting application form including relevant documents. Deadline for second round of applications in case of remaining seats is 1 June.

Applicants who have passed a minimum of one year of bachelor-level studies are eligible to apply for admission.

Accepted students will be notified before the end of April.

Access the application form

 

 

 

 

The course consists of group work, lectures, field trips, workshops, and tutorial work. The workload amounts to 412 work hours equivalent to the 15 ECTS points students receive upon meeting the above criteria.

Bachelor’s and Master’s students from any discipline are encouraged to apply. The course is open to Danish as well as to international students. Good English skills are required.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BA STUDENTS - 15 ECTS
Activity code: HHIB10211E

Academic targets
At the examination, the student can demonstrate: 

Knowledge and understanding of

  • an academically important historical area.

Skills in

  • selecting and analysing scientific literature and source material,
  • explaining the historiographical position of the applied literature and
  • accounting for theoretical approaches with emphasis on abstraction and generalisations.

Proficiencies in

  • processing and presenting independent material from scientific presentations.

Syllabus
The student selects a syllabus of 1800-2000 standard pages for approval by the examiner.

Teaching and working methods
Class instruction and/or lectures.

Exam provisions
Form of exam: Portfolio.
Scope: 16-20 standard pages. The exam consists of various elements.
Assessment: Internal exam with a single examiner and assessment based on the 7-point grading scale.
Provisions for group exams: The exam can only be taken individually.
Exam language(s): Danish or English.
Materials permitted: All.
Make-up exam/resit: Conducted in the same manner as the original exam.

MA STUDENTS - 15 ECTS
Activity code: HHIK13961E

Academic targets
At the examination, the student can demonstrate: 

Knowledge and understanding of

  • the defined historical subject, which has been covered during classes,
  • key concepts, theories, methods and approaches that characterise the research field in question and
  • one or more of the most common forms of presentation in history as a field of study.

Skills in

  • formulating historical issues based on empirical material and existing research and
  • analysing defined source material and discussing the results in the light of existing research.

Proficiencies in

  • independently organising and executing a historical study according to the course's standards for argumentation and presentation.

Syllabus
Syllabus is 1800-2000 standard pages. The student selects a syllabus for approval by the examiner.

Teaching and working methods
Class instruction.

Exam provisions
Form of exam: Portfolio.
Scope: 16-20 standard pages. The exam consists of various elements.
Assessment: Internal exam with a single examiner and assessment based on the 7-point grading scale.
Provisions for group exams: The exam can only be taken individually.
Exam language(s): Danish or English.
Materials permitted: All.
Make-up exam/resit: Conducted in the same manner as the original exam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, the University of Copenhagen does not offer scholarships or tuition fee reductions.

Figures are estimates only.

Tuition fees

Read more about tuition fees here.

Accommodation

Monthly rate approximately: DKK 4000-6000. Deposit: one month’s rent.

Miscellaneous

Living expenses: Approx. DKK 2500 for three weeks

For more information on living costs and costs of accommodation, please visit UCPH website for international students.