HIS 542 - Textile History & Museum Methods Credits: 3

This course examines the history of the production, use, and meaning of textiles and clothing, with special emphasis on clothing and accessories from nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Members of the class will examine the different methods and processes of production used to create textiles, and learn to identify how the use of different materials and styles reflected the tastes, values, and needs of different historical eras. Then through lectures, readings, hands-on activities, and visits by guest speakers, members of the class will gain training in the professional museum theory and methods for the care, handling storage, exhibition, and management of textiles housed in museum collections.