Student Handbook BA (Hons) Fashion Concepts & Communication

Transcription

1 Student Handbook BA (Hons) Fashion Concepts & Communication

2 STUDENT HANDBOOK Level 4 6 BA (Hons) Fashion Concepts and Communication SECTION 1: PROGRAMME Page 1.1 Programme Details Welcome from your Course Team Programme Staffing Programme Philosophy Programme Delivery Programme Structure Programme Resources Programme Communication Academic Calendar 11 1

3 1.1 Programme Details Institution Leeds College of Art Department Higher Education Faculty Fine Art & Design Programme Leader Susan Dillon Programme Award BA Honours Programme Title Fashion Funding Body HEFCE Relevant QAA subject benchmarks Art & Design Date of Validation 2011 Programme Start Date September 2011 Duration/length of Programme 3 years (full-time) Credit Value 360 credits Notional learning time 3600 hours Delivery Site Leeds College of Art - Blenheim Walk Document publication date September

4 1.2 Welcome The course team would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the BA (Hons) Fashion Course at Leeds College of Art. Over the next three years you will be engaging in a specialist programme of study through which you will develop your ideas and skills with an informed professional awareness and growing understanding of the social and ethical contexts of contemporary Fashion Design and Realisation or Fashion Concepts and Communication Practices depending on the pathway selected. The BA (Hons) Fashion programme aims to aid the development of the necessary practical skills, contextual knowledge, professional attitudes and intellectual abilities necessary to succeed as a professional Fashion Practitioner who can engage in a career within the creative industries. The course embraces the diversity of 21 st century Fashion Practices, and depending on the pathway selected you will be involved with patternmaking, trend interpretation, design, fashion illustration, range planning and collection building. The fashion concepts and communication pathway will cover fashion product design, fashion communication methods such as website design, fashion branding, packaging, fashion graphics, moving image, film and fashion animation. The overall aim of the course is to support you in becoming an independent, creative problem solver with the ability to deliver critically engaged and creatively appropriate work within the professional context of Contemporary Fashion. As part of LCA s broader creative community you will be supported by staff with a wide range of practical, professional and academic expertise and encouraged to take a pro-active role in identifying and developing your own creative ambitions, professional abilities and contextual understanding. We hope that you find your time on the programme both challenging and enjoyable. The Course Team Susan Dillon Gemma Moran Course Leader 1st Year Tutor susan.dillon@leeds-art.ac.uk gemma.moran@leeds-art.ac.uk Paul Luke James Beighton 2 nd Year Tutor Contextual & Theoretical Studies paul.luke@leeds-art.ac.uk james.beighton@leeds-art.ac.uk

5 1.3 Programme Staffing Details of the course team, workshop staff and support staff involved in the delivery and support of the programme can be found on the course VLE. This includes their contact details and a brief description of their roles in relation to the programme. 1.4 Programme Philosophy The course philosophy is to foster a creative and open learning environment in which innovation and originality are encouraged and supported. The Fashion course at Leeds College of Art offers two pathways, Fashion Design and Realisation and Fashion Concepts and Communication, where talented and self-motivated students on both pathways can become excellent, visually literate designers and communicators with the confidence and creativity to design products and experiences that promote and reflect the brands, people, products and companies to whom they belong. The students select their fashion pathway at the interview stage after presentation on the content from the fashion team. Discussion and guidance is offered to the students in order for them to make an informed decision about the route they would like to pursue and the pathway they feel will enable them to develop their work with an informed professional awareness. This will be achieved by addressing the visual, practical, intellectual and cultural demands of an ever changing society and fashion audience. Students will engage in generic modules during Level 4 with a pathway specific focus according to their selected pathway on entry. Level 4 briefs accommodate both pathways through the embedding of different approaches to fashion in the design and content of the brief. All modules during the first year will provide a solid grounding in the skills and knowledge required for the development of Fashion Design and Fashion Communication through pathway focused briefs. Students enter Level 5 on their selected Pathway Fashion Concepts & Communication or Fashion Design & Realisation. As the learning outcomes for all Level 4 modules are the same on both pathways, the opportunity to transfer to the other pathway is available with tutorial support and a satisfactory standard in the generation of ideas, concepts and techniques of the relevant pathway. The Fashion Concepts & Communication pathway offers you the opportunity to design fashion concepts with an emphasis on originality, inventiveness and creativity, using your vision to communicate and promote your work through a variety of 2D and 3D means. The pathway is interdisciplinary in its nature and includes experiential design projects, the acquisition of traditional and conceptual visualisation techniques is developed through various hard (mac and pc) and software packages. You will explore conceptual approaches to fashion design, develop ideas for the communication and promotion of these concepts through emerging technology, traditional techniques, digital media and moving image, enabling you to pursue fashion roles in design, public relations, styling, visual merchandising, brand management and promotion. The Fashion Design & Realisation pathway provides you with the opportunity to explore creative fashion design as traditionally known and develop practical skills in the transformation of two-dimensional design ideas into fashion garments. You will explore fashion trend interpretation, tailoring techniques, creative pattern making, garment manufacture and hand crafting, you will also develop your CAD, practical computer skills aimed towards global 4

6 contemporary fashion. You will be able to pursue roles in the industry as a designer/maker, product developer, designer/technician, pattern maker, and buyer/merchandiser. This pathway is attractive to the student who wants to develop the more practical elements of their work. Developed in response to the demands of employability and self-employability of fashion graduates in the 21 st century global fashion industry, the fashion course at Leeds College of Art (LCA) focuses on the contemporary issues that face the graduate designer when entering the contemporary fashion industry. Both pathways have their own distinctive approach to Fashion through modules aimed at specific areas of fashion as well as modules common to the creative disciplines within Leeds College of Art. All modules require you to develop and channel your creativity through the integration of theory and practice. By Level 6 you will have developed your own design personality which will help you to plan and execute your own projects and position yourself for employment within the global fashion industry or consider Masters level study. On graduating you will be able to gain employment across a wide range of fashion roles both locally, nationally and internationally. 1.5 Programme Delivery The programme is delivered through a series of integrated modules that focus on specific practical, theoretical and professional aspects of contemporary fashion practices. All modules are delivered through assignments in the form of briefs that set a range of problems encouraging you to explore, develop and apply an increasingly independent understanding of your own design practice. The briefs take the form of developmental and responsive tasks that provide an opportunity to investigate an integrated awareness of the practical, conceptual, professional and theoretical nature of contemporary fashion design and/or communication. The briefs you will be involved in will also contain a further more detailed account of what is being asked of you and how you will be assessed on the work that you produce. Modules are delivered and supported through a systematic and structured programme of taught sessions, studio support and independent study. The teaching and learning is studio focused supported by access to practical workshops. A range of sessions will be timetabled throughout the academic year and will include: Lectures, Seminars and Group Discussions - to introduce module content, principles, theories and explore their integration with studio practice. Studio & resource based practical workshop sessions - to introduce and support the development of practical and conceptual approaches to problem analysis, idea generation and design development. Regular group critiques - to further develop understanding and independent skills in the critical analysis and evaluation of individual progress and peer feedback. Individual & Group sessions and clinics - to support the development of individual/group understanding of core themes, principles and practices in relation to module content and personal development. Visiting Lecturers & Visiting Professionals - encourage and inform a broader understanding 5

7 of the creative, professional and contextual understanding of individual design practices and ambitions. Self initiated drop in sessions & independent study - to develop individual areas of interest, skills and methods of self-evaluation appropriate to module content and personal development. 1.6 Programme Structure - Fashion Concepts and Communication Pathway Level 4 Module Information & Structure LEVEL 4 Sem 1 Sem 2 Fashion Practice & Methodologies (20 Credits ) OUF404 Fashion Practice & New Technology (20 Credits ) OUF406 Fashion Production & Processes (20 Credits ) OUF405 Fashion Practice & Contemporary Context (20 Credits) OUF407 Context of Practice 1 (20 Credits) OUF401 Personal & Professional Practice 1 (PPP1) (20 Credits) OUF402 Level 4: The modules in Semester 1 are designed to ensure that students with different prior experiences all have the necessary foundation in studio and workshop practices to progress successfully to Level 5. You are introduced in Fashion Practice & Methodologies (20 credits) to fundamental methods, concepts, processes and working practices underpinning fashion design and fashion communication. This is a studio based research module, which encourages experimentation and an extension to a diverse range of working methodologies appropriate for contemporary fashion studies. You will develop an exploratory approach to the fundamentals of the visual language and research progression. This is mainly delivered in studios and workshops. This module will be delivered in the first semester. You can then embark on Fashion Production & Processes (20 credits) in which you will explore technical constraints, traditional and conceptual production processes, affecting the realisation of the design idea. This process led module will be delivered in a taught workshop format followed by Fashion Practice & New Technology (20 credits) where you are introduced to standard software packages used in the fashion and creative industries, packages such as Adobe illustrator and Photoshop are delivered in short practical projects to facilitate learning and contextualise the ways in which fashion professionals employ technology. 6

8 Finally the Fashion Practice & Contemporary Context module (20 credits) will advance your skills in the development of fashion ideas from concept to realisation. Working to industry informed design briefs you will begin to explore different contexts and methodologies appropriate to the broader fashion industry. You will be encouraged to challenge and question your own preconceptions of what fashion is and can be. The theoretical module Context of Practice 1 (20 credits) runs alongside the other modules and connects theory and practice and culminates in an essay. A Personal and Professional Practice module (20 credits) is also undertaken. This supports and monitors your developing professional awareness in a supportive and evaluative way across the year and encourages you to be more reflective in preparation for Level 5. Level 5 Module Information & Structure LEVEL 5 Sem 1 Sem 2 Fashion Concepts & Creative Strategies (30 Credits) OUF504 Fashion Concepts & New Media (30 Credits) OUF505 Responsive (20 Credits) OUF503 Context of Practice 2 (20 Credits) OUF501 Personal & Professional Practice 2 (PPP2) (20 Credits) OUF502 Level 5: As Level 4 is predominantly tutor led the experience in Level 5 begins to shift in order to develop your abilities to research, reflect, develop and analyse your practice with a greater emphasis on tutorial, critique and peer strategies to facilitate this transition. In Semester 1 Fashion Concepts & Creative Strategies (30 credits) you will explore a variety of methods associated with conceptual approaches to the development and construction of fashion products and designs. These Strategies will develop your understanding and relevance of such methodologies within the broader fashion industry and include concepts around fashion products and the promotion and communication of them to develop your own identity. You will then go on to explore a range of visual media in the module Fashion Concepts & New Media (30 credits). This includes In-design, CAD software, animation software and video in order to develop new and innovative ways to communicate and promote fashion. This module will develop your awareness of developing fashion promotion and communication methods through the development of a communication campaign for a consumer market. 7

9 Personal and Professional Practice 2 (20 credits) embodies a range of experiences designed to develop your knowledge and practical expertise of a range of issues and strategies used by designers to present, collaborate, distribute, and promote yourself within the commercial fashion world. Business information and work placement are a focused part of this module. To complete the Level 5 experience the module Context of Practice 2 (20 credits) follow the same model which includes preparation of a proposal for the Level 6 Dissertation/extended essay and an oral presentation of your dissertation/extended essay proposal. The Responsive module (20 credits) offers you and the programme to respond to external opportunities raised by emerging events such as those created by international partnerships, competition opportunities and industrial opportunities. You will be encouraged to integrate the knowledge and skills you acquire within the 20 credit modules to the work you produce on the modules Fashion Concepts & Creative Strategies and Fashion Concepts & New Media. Level 6 Module Information & Structure LEVEL 6 Sem 1 Sem 2 Extended Practice (60 Credits) OUF603 Personal & Professional Practice 3 (PPP3) (20 Credits) OUF602 Context of Practice 3 (40 Credits) OUF601 Level 6: At the outset of Level 6 you will confirm your two-part extended study in response to a proposal developed during the later part of Level 5. Supervisors who provide ongoing tutorial support will guide you. You will establish your critical position at the start of Level 6 as an emerging fashion professional and independently undertake agreed projects in the form of a capsule range of fashion products, a communication package, exhibition and a dissertation or alternative written format (extended essay). The Context of Practice module (40 Credits) in Semester 1 provides a period of research, exploratory studio practice and reflection during which you will negotiate your final project for the 8

10 Extended Practice module, and its relationship to this with staff and peers. Analysis of your own position and direction within the fashion and creative industries will be undertaken and you will present your emerging ideas at a conclusive assessment point at the end of the Semester. This will verify your position as a self-directed learner and foster confidence and synergy with the dissertation/extended work in pursuit of multi-layered learning. You will also undertake the Personal and Professional Practice module in Semester 1, which aims to develop relationships with the fashion and creative industries external environment. A focused study of your professional role within the fashion business or entrepreneurship underpins this module, encouraging you to explore the boundaries and norms of fashion practice with an emphasis on preparation for the final exhibition at the end of the year. Extended Practice is the sole module in Semester 2, which tests your representation of the culmination of knowledge, skills and understanding acquired throughout the entirety of your study on the programme. Expressed through a self initiated brief you will produce a capsule collection of fashion products, and a communication package which will be presented in the form of a body of work appropriate to your direction. You will present your work in an exhibition format and you will be expected to develop an independent practice and synthesise prior learning in the presentation and public realisation of your work. 1.7 Programme Resources THE STUDIOS The design Studios are the focal point of the BA (Hons) Fashion department around which the three levels of study operate. The studios are open 8.30am to 9pm Monday Thursday, closing at 8.00pm on Friday during term time, and open Saturdays 10.00am to 4.00pm. The studio is a specialist working environment, a dedicated space for practice, experimentation and active debate. Each studio offers a flexible rather than personal space. Studio Three is dedicated to the Level 4 module teaching and private study usage. (In your second and third year you will occupy the studios on the first floor.) Studio One is a dedicated working space for Level 5 and 6 Fashion Design and Realisation students. The use of this is as a common studio which is flexible rather than personal. Studio Two is a dedicated working space for all Fashion Concepts and Communication students. The use of this is as a common studio which is flexible rather than personal. The open space and the hub on the first floor is a dedicated private study space for all Level 5 and 6 students regardless of pathway. These areas are available to use between 8.30am and 9pm for drop in as an extension of the studio environment to encourage the productive, appropriate and responsible use of private study. However due to health and safety issues no machinery can be operated without a member of staff being available which will mean all machines in Studio Three and the open space will be switched off at 4.30pm unless staffing arrangements have been made to keep the power running, therefore studios can be used for design purposes only. Although the studio should be a vibrant and exciting place to be it should also be seen as a space for focus and reflection. The studio should be an environment that can accommodate a 9

11 range of individual approaches to learning and the production of work. When working in the studios it is important that you consider the needs of other students who share the space and with this in mind we believe that mobile phones should be kept on silent and answered outside the studio. Similarly the use of radios, cd players and other personal entertainment devices that will generate distracting noise are not welcomed in the studio during core hours and taught sessions. It is expected from the outset of the course that full time students undertake the development of their projects within the studios, workshops and college environments and full time attendance at timetabled sessions is expected. Clearly working off site when appropriate during periods of self directed study is something that is encouraged as is the independence to develop your own working methods throughout your time on the course. This however should not be at the expense of your engagement with the course and college/studio environment. Make sure that you are regularly making contact with your tutor, teaching staff and the studio. VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT In addition to the studio based resources the delivery of the programme is supported by E- Studio (Moodle) - an online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) that gives access to programme specific information, module content and learning resources. These include: Online timetables for each level that carry the dates, times and locations of all your taught sessions. Module briefing and submission information including dates, times of assessment deadlines, formats and procedures. Studio briefs, tasks and supporting material for the work that you are being asked to produce. Virtual notice boards, online forums and online sign up for tutorials, crits and workshops. Access to the broader online information, resources and community at Leeds College of Art. E-studio is linked to your academic account and provides you with updates to course content, networking opportunities and notifications of any changes to timetabled sessions. You will be introduced to the E-studio during the Induction Programme and will become increasingly familiar with it through briefings and studio workshops. ONLINE PORTFOLIOS, CRITICAL JOURNALS & BLOGS. Certain modules throughout the course may require you to document the work that you produce in an online portfolio or critical journal in the form of blogs. These blogs will form a part of the evidence that you will need to provide for assessment and will allow your work to be assessed effectively and consistently throughout your studies. ONLINE PORTFOLIO BLOG e.g. susandillon112.blogspot.com This blog will be used as a document of the practical and conceptual development of your design work in response to a studio brief. Staff assessing your work will look here for evidence of your ability to record, organise and evaluate the exploration of ideas, media, processes and production methods. By documenting and presenting your work in this format you will build up an increasingly reflective approach to your own portfolio development as well as helping to evidence the exploration of your own Design Practice. 10

12 DESIGN CONTEXT BLOG. e.g. susandillon112.blogspot.com This blog should be used to post responses to the tasks set as part of your Context of Practice 1/2/3 modules and your ongoing independent research into the historical, theoretical and contextual concerns of Fashion Design. When assessing this blog staff will be looking for your ability to inform your critical judgements and analytical opinions with appropriate references to contemporary creative practices. Over the next two years you will build up a written portfolio of references, analytical methods, examples of relevant contemporary/historical practice and more. This blog will provide a valuable resource when writing research proposals for your dissertation and developing appropriate theoretical research in your third year of study. 1.8 Programme Communication Much of the Department communication is by . Check your regularly so that you know what you should be doing and where and when you should do it. Computers to access E- mail are located both within the studios, the IT departments, College library and LRC. At your computer induction you will be provided with User Names to access the College computers and software. Notice Boards The notice boards are located in the studio. Here you will find general information and special notices such as signing-up forms for individual tutorials and workshops. Check the notice boards every time you come to the studios and always before going to a seminar or lecture as changes of time or venue are sometimes necessary. Find out where your level notice board is located. E-studio hosts the virtual notice boards and forums that are used extensively throughout the academic year to communicate important up to date information. Pigeon Holes/Mail boxes These are situated in The Studio. Messages for individual students are placed here. They too should be checked regularly. You may also use them to communicate with other students within the Faculty. By Post It is sometimes necessary to write to you, so please inform us of any changes of address in Leeds or at home. Change of Address forms can be obtained from the Course Administrator for Fashion, to whom they should be returned when completed. By Text We occasionally use text messaging as a way of communicating essential information that requires immediate action or responses such as changes to sessions, the release of assessment grades and feedback or reminders about important events. We also use text messaging or contact by mobile phone in case of emergencies and would ask that you make sure that any changes to your contact number is communicated to the Course Administrator. 1.9 Academic Calendar You will be provided with a full academic calendar that will be available online when you have enrolled on the course. 11