DISCOURSE ETHNOLOGY REPORT
A Study of Apparel Design and Merchandising at Appalachian State University
Introductory Literature Review
The discourse community of apparel design and merchandising is a small program at Appalachian State University. I am one of approximately twenty sophomores who chose to study this major. This program offers a focus on, as the program’s webpage illustrates, “both apparel and textiles with emphasis on both design and merchandising” (“Apparel Design and Merchandising”). Classes consist of outstanding instruction, while also including strenuous and stimulating labs. Students are also required to complete classes for a minor, most choosing either marketing or studio art. The program visits the fashion district in New York City twice a year. This is an educational and networking experience for students to make use of during and after their time at college.
When entering Appalachian State University, students are starting to make their own choices and deciding which community they want to be apart of during their time in college. James Paul Gee, author of “Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics” argues, “social institutions commands and demands one or more Discourses and we acquire these fluently to the extent that we are given access to these institutions and are allowed apprenticeships within them” (280). During this period of entering new discourse communities, students are tested to see if this community is what they actually want or if there is a better discourse community suited for them. This is similar to students who are tested to be in the apparel design and merchandising program, shown specifically through the Sophomore Portfolio Review. This helps students realize if this is the discourse community they want to join.
John M. Swales, author of Genre Analysis English in Academic and Research Settings, defines six characteristics of discourse communities. Swales defines the first characteristic as having “a broadly agreed on set of public goals” (24). During my time studying my chosen discourse community, I wanted to learn more about the specific goals and values of the students and teachers in the apparel design and merchandising program. Swales fourth characteristic is defined as, “it uses its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback” (26). In this discourse community, an example of a participatory mechanism is the semi-annual faculty-led trip to New York City for students to learn first hand about the apparel industry. Compositionist Kain and Wardle use activity theory to study discourse communities. Kain and Wardle create activity triangles. In their article “Activity Theory: An Introduction to the Writing Classroom” one of the points on the triangle refers to tools. Kain and Wardle explain tools as “physical objects and systems of symbols that people use to accomplish the activity” (400). I wondered what the specific tools, to help communicate and accomplish the immediate and long term goals are for this discourse community.
Methods
There were questions I wanted to learn about my chosen discourse community. Such as, what are some immediate and long-term goals, how many members are apart of the group, and I also wanted to learn about the jargon used within the group. I also wished to examine the tools used in the group. For me to examine and learn about the discourse community I have chosen to study, the apparel design and merchandising program at Appalachian State University, I interviewed a very educated and experienced professor, Mary Ray. She is the professor of three total classes; I regularly attend her ADM Apparel Design Studio II class.
Before I sat down and interviewed Mary Ray, I had to prepare some questions so I could learn about her and the program she teaches. Firstly, I wanted to ask her to introduce herself, her current job position, and about her past working with sewing and fashion. Then, I decided I would ask her about what classes she teaches and why she wanted to enter and stay a member of this community. Lastly, I wanted to talk with her about what I thought was a club she created within the program, the Mending Initiative Club.
During the Spring semester I can choose to be apart of the Spring Showcase on campus for the apparel design and merchandising program. To have my own design included in the showcase, I have to attend a one-on-one with the professor organizing the show. I plan to sit down with Anthony Wilson to go over my designs, fabric choices, and ideas for a model. I am wondering if my design will work the way I hope, if I chose the right fabric, and anything else I need to know about the Showcase. Relating this meeting to the activity triangle mentioned earlier, which was created by Kain and Wardle in their writing. The meeting will a set subject, tools, rules, included members of the community, and hopefully a great outcome. The meeting will hopefully be beneficial and help me start working towards the showcase.
Results and Discussions
Throughout my time examining the apparel design and merchandising program, I learned more about my major. I learned information that will become useful to me before and after I graduate. For example, I learned about the short and long term goals. One immediate goal that I found to be common among the students is to win the awards offered for pre-show and showcase. I am only allowed to have my designs in pre-show because the main show is for seniors only. For pre-show, the awards will be Best in Apparel Design Studio II, Best in Sustainability, and Best in Independent Designs. I would only be eligible for the Best in Apparel Design Studio II, I would be up against twenty other students because this is how many members are also sophomores, like myself. Another immediate goal for students was found on the syllabus made by my professor and organizer of the program, Nancy Oliver. I am attending her class ADM Introduction to Fashion Merchandising. On the syllabus, she listed the goals she wishes the students will achieve by then end of the semester. The goals listed include:
the production process in the development of an apparel product, including
pattern making, markers, cutting, bundling, constructing, packing and shipping in
the United States and offshore… define and use terminology used in the apparel and
textile complex, discuss careers available within the apparel and textile complex.
(“Appalachian State University”)
and several more goals are listed. A long-term goal for all students is to graduate with a bachelor's degree. Similar for teachers, they share a common long-term goal for their students to graduate with knowledge to start working in the apparel industry. Throughout the entire apparel design and merchandising program there are approximately twenty students in each class year. Also, there are a total of only three professors. The community has goals as a whole, while also each individual person has their own goals.
To be apart of this community, each student has to be accepted through the process of a portfolio review. During the first two years of this program, students start to build their portfolio. This portfolio is reviewed by the three professors of the program during the student’s sophomore year. The professors gives feedback and may recommend a student to pick another major to study. This is a beneficial process for the students and teachers. The students learn if they truly want to be apart of the community and teachers will not be teaching students who wish to be apart of another major.
During my time in this discourse community, I have learned there are words that were unfamiliar to me when I first entered the program. One jargon word that is used in this community is dress forms, which are standard sized forms we use to drape our garments. Also, some more common words are sewing machine, showcase, line, prototype, and WWD or Women’s Wear Daily. A line are made up of garments with three or more pieces with a common theme. A prototype is a sample of the final garment, made to find and fix any mistakes. Other words commonly used when making fashion illustrations are sketches, croquis or a drawn model, moodboard for inspiration, flats of the garment, and colorways to determine the different colors of the fabric. Several of these jargons are also tools the community uses to complete their goals or communicate with other members. We use technology when communicating. We receive weekly emails from the organizer of the department or other professors who need to share news with the entire program. The community also uses Google Slides for the many presentations that are given and Adobe Illustrator on computers to draw and design the garments. Other tools commonly used within the program to create and complete an entire garment are sewing machines, dress forms, scissors, and needles.
Mentioned earlier, an example of John Swales fourth characteristic of participatory mechanism within the community is the semi-annual trip the program takes to New York City. In previous years, this trip has lasted five days and staying four nights at the Appalachian Loft. There has always been a total of four professional visits and museums visits. The New York City trip is every year, so each student has the opportunity to increase their knowledge while also being a part of a participatory mechanism of the community.
The interview with professor Mary Ray was very beneficial and educational. I learned that my professor came into this community by accident; however, she is happy where she ended up. Ray originally started working as a public school speech therapist, but spent most of her years in home sewing. It was not until several years later she started her own custom design business, specializing in bridal. When I asked her to tell me the story of how she became a professor, her response followed, “Doctor Oliver.. had come there to the expo and she was in one of my classes...it turned out they needed someone to teach a class in clothing construction and I really thought I would be filling in for somebody for one semester, and now I am almost ten years in” (4:09-5:23). I then asked Ray to discuss what I thought was a club she created. This led to her asking me if I was interested in making the mending initiative meeting a club. After the interview we discussed this more in detail. Overall this interview was beneficial and educational for me because I learned more about my professor, about the discourse community, and I was asked to start a club.
Conclusion
Before starting the study of my chosen discourse community, I had the theory that besides classes there was not much communication between the students and the teachers. As the semester progressed and I learned more about the apparel design and merchandising program, I came to find the community communicated more than I had originally thought. I found that there were messages sent out each week by the organizer of the program to the entire community and professors were happy to speak to students outside of classes to discuss anything needed. Along with this, I found that the close community works together to accomplish their goals. I have seen students help and share ideas for another student’s design. I am now working to start a Mending Initiative Club, which was a result from my interview with Mary Ray. As I continue in the program throughout my time at college, I want to learn even more about the community.
Works Cited
Appalachian State University. (2019). ADM 2010: Survey of Fashion Merchandising Course Syllabus. Boone, North
Carolina. Nancy Oliver.
“Apparel Design and Merchandising.” Appalachian State University. https://design.appstate.edu/programs/apparel
design-merchandising.
Gee, James Paul. “Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics”. Writing About Writing: A College Reader, Edited by Elizabeth
Wardle and Doug Downs, Bedford St. Martin’s, 2017 pp. 276 - 297.
Kain, Donna and Elizabeth Wardle. “Activity Theory: An Introduction to the Writing Classroom.” Writing About Writing: A
College Reader, Edited by Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs, Bedford St. Martin’s, 2017 pp. 397- 406.
Mary, Ray. Personal Interview. 20 March 2019.