Fashion & Europe to be the study subject for summer students

Summer students to the University of Canterbury next month will be studying fashion. Europe: The Power of Fashion, will be offered during the summer semester starting on January 5.

Course organiser Associate Professor Natalia Chaban says fashion is seen as a powerful vehicle to convey the soft power of Europe. Soft power is an ability to affect others to obtain the outcomes one wants through attraction rather than coercion or payment through the exploitation of 'culture, values and policies, she says.

``The conceptual elements of the course cover the theory of formation of individual, group and national identities. We will also debate the 'new' and the 'old' Europe, divisions between east and west, cultural practices and the history of Europe as represented in texts and images of fashion.

``The course examines Europe’s relations with the world and the branding of Europe and the European Union as a part of present-day cultural and public diplomacies. Those elements are argued to be important in considering Europe's global outreach, including outreach to New Zealand.

``Currently, Europe and the European Union are involved in complex political and economic matters that rank among the most significant changes on the continent since World War II.

``The changing profile of the societies of the European Union renders necessary a systematic analysis of Europe’s powers from various perspectives.

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``Fashion is used in this course as yet another phenomenon to understand Europe and its connection to the world. This interactive course will look into the evolution of Europe’s fashion from antiquity to the 21stcentury. It will also consider fashion of Europe as a mirror of European identities on different levels,’’ Associate Professor Chaban says.

More than 1000 students are studying in 107 summer courses at the university which is more than each of the last two years. The University of Canterbury summer course