By Monica Sklar,
March 31st, 2009 at 9:15 am
(Uncategorized)
As mentioned in a previous post, I’m going to London in early May for research and sight seeing. I thought I’d let you know that prices have dropped a lot, and so I called Continental Airlines, who I’m flying on, and they actually gave me a price adjustment.
For international flights, since it was within 30 days of my purchase, I could make the adjustment for $50 (the price difference was almost $300/making that worthwhile). If it had been over 30 days the adjustment fee would have been $250 (still sort of worthwhile). For domestic flights the fees are much lower.
My friend who is also going to London tried to get her price adjusted but if I remember correctly she bought through a discount online travel deal (Orbitz, Travelocity type of site) and therefore no adjustment.
To be clear, they didn’t give me my money back, but, they did give me a merchandise credit for the difference, which at a couple hundred bucks is enough for another domestic flight.
So, the reason I’m telling you this is that it’s a research trip primarily and I know you all take similar journeys. Conferences, research travel, checking out new possible places of employment, etc. Turns out you don’t have to worry so much about finding the right deal as things can be worked out if a better deal comes along. (Note–I’m not on first class or business class or anything, this was a regular coach economy ticket).
Thought I’d let you know in case it helps. And if anyone has any tips for my London trip I’d still love to hear them.
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By Monica Sklar,
March 31st, 2009 at 5:00 am
(Jobs)
This is an opportunity for a scholar of humanities, dress and related interests to go overseas to do your research. Check it out.
The Society: The Society of Scholars in the Humanities is a new initiative launched this year by the University of Hong Kong, one of the leading research institutions in the region. The purpose of the society is to provide exceptionally talented scholars at the beginning of their careers an opportunity to pursue their research free from any formal requirements. The Society is designed to encourage critical, innovative and creative thought both within and between the disciplines by fostering interaction among the scholars of the Society and members of the University. What distinguishes this Society from its counterparts elsewhere is its location at the East-West gateway of Hong Kong. By drawing in scholars from around the world to this dynamic centre, it is hoped that the Society will bring a sense of cultural vibrancy to its research and contribute to the intellectual climate of this pivotal region.
Scholars are free to conduct their own research and must, therefore, work independently. At the same time, this sense of independence is complimented by the collegial nature of the Society. It is hoped that new ideas will arise as Scholars gather together as a ‘creative cluster’ through their social and intellectual interaction. To facilitate such activities, Scholars of the Society are housed in Robert Black College and are expected to attend meals and other functions organized by Senior Scholars, who are lecturers in the Faculty of Arts, under the direction of the Head of the School of Humanities, Prof. Daniel K. L. Chua. In order to integrate the Society within the University, each scholar will also be a member of their disciplinary Department and is expected to participate in its research and teaching activities.
Apart from engaging in research, Scholars will teach one course per year, interact with staff and students, present their research in colloquia and conferences, and to organize the Society of Scholars’ Lecture Series. All Scholars are expected to be resident in Hong Kong during the teaching semesters and may carry out research abroad for up to 100 days a year.
Scholarships: Each Scholarship is for two years and is non-renewable. Applicants are invited from all educational institutions across the world, including those in Hong Kong. The Scholarships are intended for researchers early in their careers to conduct innovative research. Candidates are expected to be either graduate students in the final stages of their PhD, or researchers who have been awarded their PhD Degree not more than two years from the date of application. The scholarships are not intended for students who wish to write up their theses. Scholars who have not yet completed their PhDs are expected to submit their theses by end of the first semester in order to devote the remaining time to new research.
There are seven scholarships, each in a different discipline. To launch the scheme, there will be three Scholarships in 2009 and four in 2010 so that by the second year there will be a total of seven scholars in residence. For 2009 only, an open competition will be held for candidates working in all the disciplinary areas of the Society: Art History, Comparative Literature (including Film Studies), English Literature, Linguistics, History, Music, and Philosophy.
Scholars will be provided free accommodation and breakfast at Robert Black College, departmental office space, one return airfare per year, a research grant of up to $15,000 HKD a year, and a stipend of $23,000 HKD per month (Scholars who have not yet been awarded their PhD will receive a salary of $19, 000 per month). Note: At current rates, salaries tax does not exceed 15% of gross income.
Applications: The application form can be downloaded (click here). This form, along with a short CV, a research proposal (max. 1500 words) and two referees’ reports must be received by the School of Humanities by April, 17 2009. Each reference must be in an envelope signed by the referee over the seal with the seal secured by transparent tape. Candidates should send the complete package to:
The Secretary of the Society of Scholars
School of Humanities Office
The University of Hong Kong
Room 256, Main Building
Pokfulam Road
Hong Kong
Notification: A shortlist will be drawn up by 4 May, 2009. Shortlisted candidates will be required to submit one piece of research of not more than 20,000 words in both hard copy and electronic format to the School of Humanities Office (address above). There are no interviews. Successful applicants will be notified no later than 30 June 2009. All Scholarships begin on 1 September 2009.
Contact details:
Ms. Vivian Chu, The Secretary of the Society of Scholars, can be contacted via
Email: [email protected]
Fax: (+852) 2241-5969
Telephone: (+852) 2219-4189
The University of Hong Kong: The University of Hong Kong, founded in 1911, is the oldest tertiary education institution in Hong Kong, and is now a leading research and teaching institution in the region. It is the premier English speaking University in China, and so, like Hong Kong itself, is positioned as an East-West gateway that enables it to extend its activities internationally. The University has attracted distinguished academics from all over the world and about 45% of academic staff are from overseas. The Society of Scholars forms part of this cosmopolitan environment and represents the University’s commitment to cutting-edge research in the humanities.
Click here for more details and the application
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By Monica Sklar,
March 30th, 2009 at 5:00 am
(Conferences and Calls for Papers)
1st Global Conference
Fashion – Exploring Critical Issues
(Note-sort of odd they call it the 1st conference on the subject but ok–read on….sounds pretty good)
Friday 25th September – Sunday 27th September 2009
Mansfield College, Oxford
Call for Papers
Fashion is a statement, a stylised form of expression which displays and begins to define a person, a place, a class, a time, a religion, a culture, and even a nation. This
inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary conference seeks to explore the historical, social, cultural, psychological and artistic phenomenon of fashion. Fashion lies at the very heart of persons, their sense of identity and the communities in which they live. Individuals emerge as icons of beauty and style; cities are identified as centres of fashion. The project will assess the history and meanings of fashion, evaluate its expressions in politics, music, film, media and consumer culture; determine its effect on gender, sexuality, class, race, age and identity; and explore future directions and trends.
Papers, presentations, workshops are invited on
issues related to any of the following themes:
1. Understanding Fashion
2. Philosophies of Fashion
3. Cultures of Fashion
4. Fashion and Identity
5. Fashion and Representation
6. The Future of Fashion
Pre-formed panel proposals are also encouraged.
The 2009 meeting of Fashion – Exploring Critical Issues will run alongside our project on Multiculturalism and we anticipate holding sessions in common between the two projects. We welcome any papers considering the problems or addressing issues of Fashion and Multiculturalism, Conflict and Belonging.
Papers will be considered on any related theme. 300 word abstracts should be submitted by Friday, April 17, 2009. If an abstract is accepted for the conference, a full draft paper should be submitted by Friday 7th August 2009.
300 word abstracts should be submitted to the Organising Chairs; abstracts may be in Word, WordPerfect, or RTF formats, following this order:
a) author(s), b) affiliation, c) email address, d)
title of abstract, e) body of abstract
E-mails should be entitled: Fashion Abstract
Submission
Organising Chairs
Jacque Lynn Foltyn
Chair, Dept of Social Sciences, College of Letters
and Sciences,
National University, CA, USA
E-mail: [email protected]
Rob Fisher
Network Founder and Network Leader,
Inter-Disciplinary.Net, Freeland,
Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
E-mail: [email protected]
Click here for more details.
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By Lauren Michel,
March 27th, 2009 at 5:00 am
(Teaching, Videos)
If you work in the fashion industry, you know how vital the use of electronic communication and online networking are to getting your job done. Runway and trend reports, shipment tracking, merchandise stocking, and more, can all be transmitted via some form of electronic communication.
For those of you who are my fellow instructors, molding the up and coming fashion professionals of tomorrow, doubtless electronic communication is also an indispensable part of your work. As we prepare our students for careers in the industry, it is important that we, as their educators and mentors, include some mention of professional standards for conversing by email and other similar electronic exchanges.
I’m not referring simply to instructors’ grief caused by students’ grammar and spelling errors, which likely is a grievance as old as higher education. Today, I’m writing to you about the format of emails, text messages, and facebook messages we receive from our students.
To begin with, some of my students begin their messages to me with “Dear Mrs. Michel”, and others begin with “hey Lauren.” Further, I am amazed at the number of emails I have received this semester which are written in text message format. I have no objection to my students using their cell/mobile phones to check their email and then email me, however, the abbreviated format of a text message leaves entirely too much room for error and misunderstanding, and I try to instill that in my students in my classroom.
To give you a further idea of the types of correspondence I’ve received in the recent past, here are some direct quotes taken from messages that have arrived in my email inbox. All formatting has been left as it was in the original messages:
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hey there. i was wonderin where you room was to meet today…
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The time and days I’m free not that just Fridays after 10:30 anything time.
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i hate to keep bothering you lol but i have no idea where that is?.. or what building that is
Call me old-fashioned, but it is my opinion that the expression “lol” has no business in a message from a student to his or her teacher. Further, if the message a student sends me makes no sense, I begin to wonder how much he or she comprehends the messages I send in reply.
In a recent discussion on this topic, Worn Through’s Editor, Monica Sklar, had this to say:
I can tell you that my students write me in what I consider an altogether too informal manner. Some are very polite, and use email the way they would a professional phone call or office hours visit. Others use slang, don’t spellcheck, and use a tone that is ranging from overly friendly to oddly casual to downright snotty and bratty. I think the lack of face to face communication emboldens them to not keep in perspective I am their teacher…They are not all like that–but too many are.
Monica’s words mirror my experience and my sentiments.
My point in writing this post today is not simply to criticize student writing for being what it is: the words of students who are, first and foremost, students. They are enrolled in our institutions of higher learning for one common purpose, and that is to learn. While I recognize that I am not an English instructor and do not possess an English degree, I do take it upon myself to educate my students in professional communication standards as part of my fashion curriculum. How do the rest of you approach this issue?
To end on a lighter note, for the grammarians and spellcheck haters in our readership, I recommend a video of poet Taylor Mali reading his poem entitled The The Impotence of Proofreading. I post it for you with the warning that, depending on where you work, the content may potentially be considered NSFW (Not Suitable for Work) because it presents the pitfalls of over-reliance on spellcheck with adult humor.
You can also click here to read the full text of the poem in the event that you have officemates with sensitive ears.
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By Monica Sklar,
March 26th, 2009 at 5:00 am
(Exhibitions)
“MURIEL KING: ARTIST OF FASHION”
Through April 4
The Fashion Institute of Technology [New York City]
This exhibit is the first dedicated to American fashion designer Muriel King (1900-1977). Exploring King’s career through her fashion sketches and garment designs, it was organized by graduate students in the Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, Museum Practice program.
Click here for details.
Thanx to the Costume Society of America e-News for some of this info.
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By Heather Vaughan,
March 25th, 2009 at 5:00 am
(Uncategorized)
My trip to D.C. earlier this not only allowed me a lovely visit with the First Ladies Dressses exhibition at the National Museum of American History, but also provided me with a unique opportunity to view an exhibit on Abe Lincoln. Additionally, the museum is peppered with important clothing related to historic persons or events.
From Abraham LIncoln: An Extraordinary Life:
Abe Lincoln’s Suit:
Mary Todd Lincoln’s Inaugration Gown, 1861–62. More information here.
Plaster cast of Lincoln’s face and hands:
Aside from the Lincoln exhibit, the museum had several other exhibits which included clothing or costumes. For example, the exhibit on The White House included this gown worn by Gracie Coolidge in the 1920s. I had no idea she was so stylish:
Another example is this dress, worn by a private citizen, Mrs. George Meem to a White House function sometime bween 1921 and 1929. It was designed by Julis Garfinckel & Co, “a fashionable department store in Washington, D.C.”
I do hope you enjoyed my brief tour of the new National Museum of American History from Washington, D.C. If you have a museum collection you’d like profiled on WT, please let us know.
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By Monica Sklar,
March 24th, 2009 at 5:00 am
(Jobs)
(Note-I rarely post apparel design jobs but this one caught my eye. I used to want to work in government intelligence and I did my master’s in smart textiles so I thought I’d give this one some page space.)
CLOTHING DESIGNER FOR MILITARY
US Army Natick Soldier Research Development and Engineering Center
Location: Massachusetts
The US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, located at the US Army Soldier Systems Center in Natick, MA under the Army’s RD&E Command, seeks self-motivated and results-oriented individuals to join our Design, Pattern and Prototype Team (DPPT). DPPT is responsible for the design and fabrication of clothing and clothing related prototypes: protective, combat, dress and military apparel systems.
We have the dedicated mission to maximize the Warrior’s survivability, sustainability, mobility, combat effectiveness and quality of life by treating the Soldier as a System. Situated near the birthplace of the Nation’s Army, the Natick Soldier RD&E Center is also the birthplace of the Soldier as a System concept.
Incumbent of this position will perform the role of project officer on the Advanced Personal Protection System Program. This program is run for the Department of Homeland Security, and is focused on delivering near term solutions to technical challenges faced by DHS Operational elements (Coast Guard, Border Patrol, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Transportation Security, etc). This program will manage the development of integrated personal protective systems that will be worn by Federal, State, local, and tribal law enforcement officers to protect themselves from multiple hazards such as chemical, biological, ballistic, and thermal threats.
Job Description:
Responsibilities include planning and conducting clothing design projects involving the design and development of experimental military clothing ensembles and master patterns, production patterns, grading system, graded patterns, and prototype design and fabrication in support of military clothing, equipment items or systems.
Specific Skills:
Ability to work in a team environment.
Experience working with Gerber Accumark Version 8 (PDS), V-Sticher, Accuscan, Adobe Illustrator Web PDM, marker making and specialty machinery: i.e., embroidery, ultrasonic, and seam sealing.
Knowledge of garment construction, men’s and women’s sizing, custom fitting, fabrication methods, production methods and fabric layout.
Experience in pattern manipulation inclusive of sizing/grading, designing/creating and modification.
Attention to detail, initiative, teamwork, and a creative imagination
How to Apply:
To officially apply for this position, you must apply through the Army’s Resume Builder. To do this, click here and click on Employment, then Build a Resume and follow the instructions.
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By Monica Sklar,
March 23rd, 2009 at 12:32 pm
(Uncategorized)
So the deadlines for abstract submissions to the International Textile and Apparel Association (outside of Seattle) and the Midwest Pop Culture/American Culture Associations (in Detroit) conferences are coming up in the next few weeks. I’m trying to decide to submit to both, either, or neither.
Anyone else potentially going or submitting something?
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By Monica Sklar,
March 23rd, 2009 at 5:00 am
(Conferences and Calls for Papers)
Material Culture Annual Symposium
The body as object: The human as material culture
May 1, 2009
Telus Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton Canada
The human body is developed, changed, and shaped by nature and culture. As a site of experience, expression, and interpretation, the body offers sensation and feeling, but also form and substance that may be inspected and analyzed by the self and others.
This symposium discusses human bodies in relation to the material world: bodies are considered as real, physical entities that are manipulated, depicted, and understood as places where interior sensibility meets external form.
Speakers will cover topics such as:
Susie Orbach: How we ‘get’ a body
Ben Barry and Becky Conekin: How the bodies of fashion models are presented and viewed both today and in the past
Pirkko Markula: How male and female bodies are shaped through exercise
Jorg Scheller: How bodies may be considered as deliberately-constructed works of art
Lianne McTavish: How medical imagery may depict bodies as cultural objects that are endowed with moral value
Cost: $30 / $15 (concessions). Lunch and refreshments included.
Click here for more info
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By Monica Sklar,
March 20th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
(Academic Research & Related, Uncategorized)
So this week I had to choose to either go with a new name for my degree or stick with the old one.
Previously the degrees in my department were called “PhD in Design, Housing, and Apparel: Apparel emphasis area” or something like that. A mouthful, but complete.
New degrees will be called “PhD in Design-Apparel Track: emphasis area either History/Culture, Retail, or Product Development.” Also a mouthful, also complete, different nature. The emphasis area won’t appear on your degree but is the line of classes you take.
Those of us who are in the program during the transition get to choose what we want based on the classes we’ve taken and which we prefer linguistically I guess. In one direciton you may have taken too many classes, in the other direction you might not have taken enough clases–doesn’t really matter, it’s basically a choice of phrasing.
So, I went with the new title “PhD in Design”
To me it seems more contemporary, and somehow equally applicable in more directions because the word Design can be broad, yet the zeroing in on the Apparel track and then the History/Culture emphasis (my area) is also more specific and highlights my specialization. As I job hunt there are so many new positions being developed with titles like “design historian”, “design theorist”, “visual culture and design analyst” etc etc that it seems like a PhD in Design vs. PhD in Design, Housing, & Apparel was a decent choice.
I can still change my mind for a few days. Any thoughts?
3 Comments
