British Fashion and Social Change in the 20th Century 3301-KB2412

The course proposes to examine fashion as a system of signs, whose meaning can be interpreted and connected to social, political, economic and cultural history. The methodology used to examine sartorial practices is based on the principle that fashion is a form of communication and that as such it can be subject to analysis as any other text of culture. Therefore, the discussion of changing styles and trends in fashion is informed by fashion theory and criticism, as well as elements of semiotics. Using photographs, fragments of films, newspapers, magazines, diaries and memoirs students discover and discuss the relation between dress and social change in Britain in the 20th century. Suffragettes' and feminists' attitude to fashion is presented as indicative of the political function of clothing. Diverse approaches to fashion among women's right activists are illustrated with the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) urge to dress fashionably and the strong anti-fashion stance of the second-wave feminism. The impact of World War I and World War II (the British Utility Clothing Scheme of 1941) on female fashion will be discussed in relation to promotion of more masculine styles for women. Revolutionary changes in fashion in the 1960s epitomised by Mary Quant's and Barbara Hulanicki's designs are to be examined in a wider context of democratisation and levelling of class diffrences as well as women's rights legislation. Finally the role of fashion as a tool of political subversion is to be analysed on the example of styles adopted by the Punk subculture.

TOPICS

Class 1: Course requirements; Introduction – fashion history and fashion theory: D. Crane, R. Barthes, A. McRobbie, E. Wilson,

Class 2: The language of personal adornment; fashion as communication

Class 3: Refashioning men and children: British men's fashion in 1914; Edwardian children's clothing

Class 4: Fashion and the British suffrage movement

Class 5: The First World War and fashion – military woman IWW

Class 6: Flapper style and the 'Flapper Election'

Class 7: The WWII and fashion – British Utility Scheme

Class 8: Women's fashion after the war: the birth of the New Look

Class 9 : Post-war subversion – the Teddy Boys

Class 10: The Mods

Class 11: The Swinging Sixties

Class 12: Fashion and the Second Wave feminism

Class 13: Punk aesthetics

Class 14: Review

Class 15: Final test

Course coordinators

Katarzyna Kociołek

Type of course

elective courses

Mode

Classroom
Remote learning

Prerequisites (description)

First cycle studies course Three absences are allowed. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the classroom is governed by the rules set forth in Resolution No. 16 of the Teaching Council for the programs English Studies, English Studies – Linguistics, and English Studies – Literature and Culture of 9 December 2025 https://ia.uw.edu.pl/fileadmin/ilustracje/dokumenty/2026/RD_IA_2025_UCHWALA_nr16_narzedzia_AI_nowelizacja_ZAL2_EN.pdf Any and all use of AI must be reported. It is not permitted to use AI for graded assignments or final projects.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge
Students will have familiarity with:
K_W01 advanced terminology, theory and research methods corresponding to the state of the art in the disciplines of literary studies and culture and region studies within the domain of English Studies in the area of research on social change and the history of clothing in Great Britain in the 20th century.
K_W08 concepts and principles concerning the protection of intellectual property and copyright

Social competences
Students will be ready to:
K_K01 critically appraise their knowledge and content obtained from various sources
K_K02 recognize the importance of knowledge in solving cognitive and practical problems; consult experts when required

*** Applies to students who began their studies in the year 2022/2023 ***

Knowledge
Students will have familiarity with:
K_W02 advanced terminology, theory and research methods corresponding to the state of the art in the discipline of linguistics, in accordance with their chosen specialization (and educational path) within the domain of English Studies in the area of research on social change and the history of clothing in Great Britain in the 20th century.
K_W03 advanced descriptive grammar of English
K_W05 historical development of the English language and its variability in different areas of language description, at an advanced level
K_W07 advanced structures, lexis and conventions of spoken and written English

Abilities
Students will be able to:
K_U01 apply advanced terminology, theory and research methods corresponding to the state of the art in the disciplines of literary studies and culture and region studies within the domain of English Studies in the area of research on social change and the history of clothing in Great Britain in the 20th century.
K_U02 apply advanced terminology, theory and research methods corresponding to the state of the art in the discipline of linguistics, in accordance with their chosen specialization (and educational path) within the domain of English Studies
K_U04 analyze at an advanced level literary works in connection with historical and cultural processes
K_U11 use modern technology to acquire knowledge and communicate through a variety of communication channels and techniques

Social competences
Students will be ready to:
K_K02 recognize the importance of knowledge in solving cognitive and practical problems; consult experts when required
K_K03 fulfill social obligations, co-organize activities for the benefit of the social environment

Learning outcomes applicable to students beginning their studies in the academic year 2025/26

Knowledge
The graduate has familiarity with:
- K_W01 advanced terminology, theory and research methods corresponding to the state of the art
in the disciplines of literary studies and culture and region studies within the domain of English
Studies, in the field of social change and dress history in Britain in the 20th century.
- K_W08 concepts and principles concerning the protection of intellectual property and copyright
Abilities
The graduate is able to:
- K_U01 apply advanced terminology, theory and research methods corresponding to the state of
the art in the disciplines of literary studies and culture and region studies within the domain of
English Studies, in the field of social change and dress history in Britain in the 20th century.
- K_U08 apply the concepts and principles of intellectual property protection and copyright law
Social competences
The graduate is ready to:
- K_K01 critically appraise their knowledge and content obtained from various sources
- K_K02 recognize the importance of knowledge in solving cognitive and practical problems; consult
experts when required.
Depending on the specific course; methods regarded as most suitable for verifying learning
outcomes will be determined in the course syllabus: W, U, K.

Learning outcomes applicable to students in the years 2022-2024:

Knowledge
Students know and understand:
K_W02 at an advanced level, key terminology, main methods and theories of research on British visual culture (in particular regarding social changes in British fashion) within the framework of English philology;
K_W03 at an advanced level, tendencies in the development of cultural studies, in particular the history and theory of fashion within the English philology;
K_W05 at an advanced level of grammar, syntax, phonology, phonetics, morphology, pragmatics of the English language;
K_W07 principles of designing cultural studies, in particular the use of methods and tools in formulating research problems.

Skills
Students can:
K_U01 use the terminology and conceptual apparatus in the field of cultural studies, in particular regarding the history and theory of fashion;
K_U02 use the methodology of cultural studies within the English philology, respecting the standards of scientific ethics and copyright
K_U04 use the acquired knowledge to describe and solve problems and perform tasks related to the discipline of science about culture and religion
K_U11 design their own development path

Social competence
Students are ready to:
K_K02 lifelong learning and personal development, using the skills to select subjects and projects corresponding to the interests of a given person
K_K03 taking responsibility for one's own work and respecting the work of others, taking care to observe the principles of professional ethics as well as ethical principles and standards in project activities and other activities undertaken as part of professional work, volunteering, etc.

Language education at the B2 + level.

Students will have learned to identify fashion of each decade of the 20th century as well as connect the arrival of specific trends to social and political transformations.
B2+ language training

In class discussions students acquire skills of expressing their thoughts in a clear, coherent, logical and precise manner, with the use of language which is correct grammatically, lexically and phonetically.

Assessment criteria

TEACHING METHODS
- analysis of primary and secondary sources
- discussion
- presentations

ASSESSMENT:
Presentation - 20%
Final test - 80%

GRADING:60-65 % - 3; 66-70 % - 3,5; 71-80 % - 4; 81-90 % - 4,5; 91-100 % - 5

Retake exam during a retake session

Bibliography

Adams, R. (2008). “The Englishness of English Punk: Sex Pistols, Subcultures, and Nostalgia.” Popular Music and Society, Vol. 31, No. 4, pp. 469-488.
Barnard, M. (Ed.). (2007). Fashion Theory, London: Routledge.
Barnard, M. (1996). Fashion as Communication. London: Routledge.Barthes, R. (2013). The Language of Fashion, London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
Breward, C. (2002). Style and Subversion: Postwar Poses and the Neo-Edwardian Suit in Mid-Twentieth-Century Britain, Gender & History, 14(3), pp. 560–583.
Clark, D. (Ed.). (1991). Marriage, Domestic Life and Social Change, London: Routledge.
Craik, J., & Peoples, S. (2006). Exhibition Review: Vivienne Westwood: 34 Years in Fashion, Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body & Culture, 10(3), pp. 387-399.
Craik, J. (1995). The Face of Fashion. Cultural Studies in Fashion. London: Routledge.
Crane, D. (2000). Fashion and Its Social Agendas, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Fawcett, H. (2006). Fashioning The Second Wave: Issues Across Generations, Studies in the Literary Imagination, 39(2).
Hall, S. (Ed.). (2002). Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. London: Sage Publications.
Lewis, J. (1994). Women in Britain since 1945, Oxford: Blackwell.
McRobbie, A. (1998). British Fashion Design, London: Routledge.McRobbie, A. (1999). In the Culture Society, London: Routledge.
Mirzoeff, N. (Ed.). (2005). The Visual Culture Reader. New York: Routledge.
Rose, C. (2011). Continuity and Change in Edwardian Children’s Clothing, Textile History, 42(2), pp. 145-161.
Wilcox, C. (2008). Vivienne Westwood. London: V&A Publications.
Wilson, E. (2013). Adorned in Dreams, London: I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd.
Woodward, K. (Ed.). (2009). Identity and Difference. Culture, Media and Identities. London: Sage Publications Ltd.