Fashion and Costume, Minor - FACO

Minor in Fashion and Costume

Fashion and Costume are inherently related as they are, essentially, the same base subject. Both require a love of aesthetics and an interdisciplinary skillset in hands-on abilities and marketing; Fashion is geared toward the masses while costume is tending to the parameters of the stage. Costuming’s research is based in Fashion or Art History and Fashion’s trends pull from previous styles throughout time. Both allow a wearer- the individual consumer or the production’s character- to choose the skin they are in, show off personality, and exude confidence.

Students will explore the fun side of this industry, enjoying history and beauty and practices of Fashion and Costume, but all the while keeping our Catholic roots and hunger for justice within our discussions, based on a foundation learned in Fashion Ethics.

The 13 hours would be earned via three buckets, all of which provide a diverse basic vocabulary needed to enter a Fashion or Costume field.  

  • The first bucket, Fashion and Costume Foundations, holds three Fashion and Costume-specific courses, all of which must be taken. They are Fashion Ethics, either Fashion and Costume History or Costume Design, and Professional Aspects for Artistic Fields. In the past, students enrolled in Professional Aspects for Artistic Fields have traveled to Chicago or NYC to meet with professionals in the field and to view the highest-quality examples of work.
  • The second bucket, Business Bucket,  allows students to understand the marketing and presentational piece of the Fashion or Costume worlds, learning how to present their ideas to their clients, remediate public issues, or manage their financial resources and staff. 
  • The third bucket,  Creative and Historic Arts Bucket, students choose a course that provides arts research and/or hands-on, technical skills. This is the “doing” bucket, in which students are able to explore their artistic interests and talents and will provide particularly useful knowledge for those that want to go into design, curation, or creation of either fashion or costume. 

This 13-hour minor appeals to Business, Marketing, Communication, and Theatre Majors and Minors as a support for or enhancement of their primary field of study.

MINOR REQUIREMENTS (13 HOURS)

All of the following:
THTR 383Fashion Ethics3
THTR 365Fashion and Costume History3
or THTR 455 Costume Design
THTR 459Professional Aspects for Artistic Fields1
Business
One of the following:3
BUAD 231
Principles of Marketing
COMM 204
Social Media
COMM 304
Public Relations
COMM 406
Marketing Communication
THTR 430
Theatre Management
Creative and Historic Arts
One of the following:3
THTR 365
Fashion and Costume History
or THTR 455
 Costume Design
THTR 385
Beginning Fashion and Costume Construction
ART 219
Sculptural Knitting and Crochet
ART 236
Sustainable Textiles
ART 238
Fiber: Surface Design
ART 239
Fiber: Fabric Printing
ART 241
Art History Survey I
Total Credits13

Student Learning Outcomes

The student who successfully completes the minor in fashion and costume will have acquired knowledge, understanding, and skills in the following:

  • Develops a proficient, introductory knowledge of historical and aesthetic terms and practices
  • Prepares for post-graduate work in any field with a foundational understanding of marketing and professional aspects
  • Articulates ethical issues related to the field, demonstrating her attention to the Catholic value of justice

Faculty

M. Bialko