Bath Spa University

This page may contain additional navigation below.

Design: Investigating Fashion Design

The MA Design programme has five routes: Brand Development; Ceramics; Communication Design; Fashion and Textiles; Investigating Fashion Design. The programme shares common principles in terms of its philosophy and research, particularly with regard to research methodologies, but acknowledges the diversity of individual design disciplines that collectively contribute so much to the cultural and economic life of 21st century society.

Investigating Fashion Design is concerned with the study, analysis and written critique of historical and contemporary dress in a museum environment.

Researchers on this course will engage with the wealth of fashionable dress resources held in the internationally renowned Fashion Museum, Bath. The course aims to enable students to work independently with the collection, whilst attending supporting lecture and seminar programmes. These will develop an understanding of fashion and its contexts through objects, and museum based study. Students will work with curators and museum professionals as well as academics and designers in order to fuse theory and practice and to develop innovative approaches to the study, display and dissemination of fashionable dress. Additionally, students are encouraged to present their research in a public arena and are offered the opportunity to study for a Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Learning.

Photographs on this page are courtesy of Bath and North East Somerset Council – Fashion Museum. Photographs of the Fashion Museum displays by James Davis and Shaw & Shaw.

Course Structure and Content

The course is offered in both full and part-time modes. It is normally one year (3 trimesters) in duration in full-time mode or 6 trimesters in part-time mode. The first two trimesters comprise taught sessions and assessed projects, while the Master’s Project in the final part of the course is by negotiated project only. Completion of the first 2 modules on the course lead to the award of the Postgraduate Certificate, and completion of the first 4 modules leads to the award of the Postgraduate Diploma. Subsequent completion of the MA double module leads to the award of MA Design: Investigating Fashion Design.

Modules

• Research Methodologies: Part one introduces generic research methodologies with part two considering subject specific material, analysis and evaluation techniques.
• Material Evidence 1: The module, split into two inter-related segments, aims to introduce students to professional practice in museums and learning and teaching environments. This will largely consist of independent study supported by Blackboard.
• Fashion History and Theory: This element of the course is intended to introduce students to the key issues arising from fashionable dress from the past in the present. Consisting of a taught lecture and seminar programme, students will be encouraged to discuss a variety of topics pertinent to an analysis of both historical and contemporary dress.
• Material Evidence 2: The module is split into two parts which address practical and ethical issues arising from working in the public sector. The first element addresses the use of learning technology in Higher Education: to include PowerPoint presentations, image location, virtual learning environments such as Minerva and Blackboard, photography and video work. The second element investigates the roles and responsibilities of the Higher Education Lecturer: which will address the ethics and duties of the post.
• Master’s Project: The Master’s Project double module offers students the opportunity to investigate an area of the museum collection in detail culminating in a 20,000 word thesis.

Teaching Methods and Resources

The course is offered in conjunction with the Fashion Museum in Bath and incorporates a lecture and seminar programme. The provision of teaching and learning opportunities within the museum affords students access to a working museum environment, where they will gain hands-on experience of data collection and collation, garment handling, dressing and photography. Students will have access to the whole museum collection. Combined with a rigorous academic taught programme, students will also benefit from the teaching and learning offered within the Bath School of Art and Design. Group visits to other national collections will constitute part of the course.

Specialist facilities at the University include computer studios with over 70 Macs, as well as flatbed and transparency scanners. There is a recently re-equipped digital media studio. All students have access to workshops in photography, sound and video, etching and litho, as well as the specialist Art and Design library.

Tutors

• Dr Jo Turney, Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Research, Critical and Postgraduate Studies. Interests include knitting, the interrelationship between fashion and textiles, and fashion and the everyday.
• Rosemary Harden, Curator, Fashion Museum, Bath.

Visiting tutors will also constitute the teaching staff.

Employability

The course aims to encourage the engagement of students in professional activities, developing skills suitable for the following careers:

• Dress Historian
• Academic in a Further or Higher Education institution
• Fashion writer
• Archives and Museums

Assessment Methods

All course work is assessed by project and written submission. There are no written examinations. On successful completion of the course students should be able to:

• discuss and analyse fashionable dress in context;
• critically investigate and research theoretical and object based approaches to fashion, textiles and dress;
• articulate and demonstrate an understanding of the purpose and workings of the contemporary museum and collections;
• undertake significant object based research demonstrating appropriate methodologies;
• communicate innovative approaches to the study of fashion, textiles and dress;
• use a variety of technology and media;
• write and communicate research projects effectively;
• produce a research project suitable for publication, presentation or exhibition.

Entry Requirements

Admission is normally based on a good undergraduate degree in a design or media discipline together with an interview. Applicants with a good honours degree in a related discipline and/or with relevant work experience will also be considered. To help applicants – especially those from overseas – to decide if this course is appropriate for them, it is advisable to contact the Course Director prior to application.