USC Roski Announces Interdisciplinary Minor in Fashion
The USC Roski School of Art and Design along with other USC professional schools – Iovine and Young Academy, the School of Dramatic Arts, the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, the Marshall School of Business, and the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism – today announced a new minor in Fashion. The newly launched minor will challenge the current norms of the fashion industry and inspire students to create powerful, astute, technology enabled, and sustainable practices to facilitate meaningful change. The minor is available to all enrolled undergraduate students at USC beginning in the Fall ‘23 term.
The interdisciplinary minor, housed at USC Roski, recontextualizes the idea of fashion in a collaborative manner with elective options in fashion studies, wearable production, smart fabrics, fashion in extended reality and digital worlds, costuming, dance and movement, media and culture, entrepreneurship and marketing. This minor may serve as a path to forthcoming progressive graduate degrees: the MFA in Fashion at the Roski School or the MS in Fashion Innovation at the Iovine and Young Academy
DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, UNIQUE PERSPECTIVES
The foundation of a studio practice in fashion requires a well-rounded understanding of the basics of form, color theory, material construction, and production techniques. An analysis of merchandising, marketing, consumer understanding and design trends also contributes to success in the field. Technology is influencing the means of fashion production and dissemination but also the range of outcomes as we see a growth in digital and hybrid (physical-digital) fashion products ranging from digital skins and virtual runways to smart apparel for participatory wellness. The selection of courses in the minor can be tailored to the specific interests of the student. This integrated learning paradigm for fashion is unique for Los Angeles.
The Roski School of Art and Design not only provides a solid foundation in art and design but also allows for an in-depth exploration of fashion design theory, identity issues, and visual representation. At the Iovine and Young Academy, students are introduced to cutting-edge technologies, such as smart fabrics and fashion in extended reality and explore fashion innovations at the intersection of creative practice, technology and business. Students at the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance can explore the fascinating relationship between fashion and performance, delving into its intersections with choreography, corporeality, identity, and theatricality. The School of Dramatic Arts offers courses that examine fashion design and construction as powerful tools for shaping and defining identities across diverse realms, from musical theatre to superheroes, sports, and fashion influencers. In the Marshall School of Business, fashion minor students are equipped with the necessary tools to create innovative products and business ventures. The Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism provides students with foundational knowledge to understand fashion as a mode of communication and a culture industry at the intersection of art and commerce.
Each of the participating USC schools offers distinct pathways and valuable perspectives, enriching students’ educational experiences and preparing them for dynamic careers in their chosen fields, producing future fashion thought leaders.
COURSES AVAILABLE IN THE FASHION MINOR (24 UNITS)
ROSKI SCHOOL OF ART AND DESIGN
ART 110 Drawing for Art and Design (4)
DES 102 Design Fundamentals (4)
DES 230 3D Design: Materials and Tools (4)
ART 311 Anatomical Drawing from Life (2)
ART 314 Illustration for Art and Design (2)
CRIT 415 Performance: Event, Action, Situation (4)
CRIT 425 Identity and Visual Representation (4)
DES 313 Graphic Design in Fashion (4)
DES 323g Design Theory (4)
CRIT/FDN 405 Race, Fashion and Pop Culture (4)
FDN 430 Materiality and Construction (4)
FDN 433 Intl Fashion Study Tour (2)
SCHOOL OF DRAMATIC ARTS
THTR 231 Costume Construction (3)
THTR 233 Historic Costumes for the Theatre (3)
THTR 331 Costume Design I (4)
THTR 418 Advanced Fashion Construction: Tailoring (4)
THTR 433ab Costume Design II (3,3)
THTR 447 Fashion Influencing (4)
THTR 448 History of Fashion and the Costume (4)
THTR 462 Sports and Fashion (4)
GLORYA KAUFMAN SCHOOL OF DANCE
DANC 170 Choreography and Performance (2)
DANC 482 Improvisational Strategies in Movement and Materiality (4)
IOVINE AND YOUNG ACADEMY
ACAD 217 Extended Reality Design/Designing Immersive Media? (4)
ACAD 240 Materials: Denim to Nanotubes (4)
ACAD 245 Designing Products I (4)
IDSN 535 Ambient Computing (4)
IDSN 537 Fashion in Extended Reality (4)
IDSN 581 Introduction to the Global Fashion System (2)
MARSHALL SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
BAEP 423 Management of Small Businesses (4)
BAEP 450 Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship (4)
BAEP 451 The Management of New Enterprises (4)
BAEP 452 Feasibility Analysis (4)
BUAD 307 Marketing Fundamentals (4)
ANNENBERG SCHOOL FOR COMMUNICATION AND JOURNALISM
COMM 396g Fashion, Media and Culture
VISIT the USC course catalog here for additional details
