This collection of contributions was created to prove both the complexity of the contemporary fashion system as well as the richness and openness of an interdisciplinary approach to the field, that is the same that inspires the Master programme in Fashion Studies at Sapienza, University of Rome. All the authors – either scholars or professionals in their fields – are deeply involved in this educational project and they have conceived each contribution as a pedagogic tool for supporting students in better understanding the social, cultural, economic, technological, creative, environmental aspects of fashion. Therefore, this collection aimed at providing readers with a kaleidoscopic approach, a multitude of voices and perspectives; a set of blended methodologies as well as theories that try to address the challenges of the permanent and accelerating transformations of the fashion system. To understand the future of fashion we have to foster creative as well as critical thinking, working on the knowledge we got from the past and identifying changes in advance, in order to be ready – and prepared – for the challenges that are in front of us.

This book provides a concise and much-needed introduction to the sociology of fashion. Most studies of fashion do not make a clear distinction between clothing and fashion. Kawamura argues that clothing is a tangible material product whereas fashion is a symbolic cultural product. She debunks the myth of the genius designer and explains, provocatively, that fashion is not about clothes but is a belief. There is an institutional structure, ignored by many fashion theorists, that has shaped and produced the fashion phenomenon. Kawamura further shows how the structural nature of the fashion system works to legitimize designers creativity and can make them successful. Newer fashion cities, such as Milan and New York, are the product of the fashion system that originated in Paris. Without that systemic structure, fashion culture would not exist. Fashion-ology provides a big picture approach that focuses on the social process behind fashion and its perpetuation.

Teaching Fashion Studies is the definitive resource for instructors of fashion studies at the undergraduate level and beyond. The first of its kind, it offers extensive, practical support for both seasoned instructors and those at the start of an academic career, in addition to interdisciplinary educators looking to integrate fashion into their classes. Informed by the latest research in the field and written by an international team of experts, Teaching Fashion Studies equips educators with a diverse collection of exercises, assignments, and pedagogical reflections on teaching fashion across disciplines. Each chapter offers an assignment, with guidance on how to effectively implement it in the classroom, as well as reflections on pedagogical strategies and student learning outcomes. Facilitating the integration of practice and theory in the classroom, topics include: the business of fashion; the media and popular culture; ethics and sustainability; globalization; history; identity; trend forecasting; and fashion design.

Few faculty members in academic medical centres are formally prepared for their roles as teachers. This work is an introductory text designed to provide medical teachers with the core concepts of effective teaching practice and information about innovations for curriculum design, delivery, and assessment. It offers brief, focused chapters with content that is easily assimilated by the reader. Topics are relevant to basic science and clinical teachers, and the work does not presume readers possess prerequisite knowledge of education theory or instructional design. The authors emphasize application of concepts to teaching practice. Topics include: Helping Students Learn; Teaching Large Groups; Teaching in Small Groups; Problem Based Learning; Team-Based Learning, Teaching Clinical Skills; Teaching with Simulation; Teaching with Practicals and Labs; Teaching with Technological Tools; Designing a Course; Assessing Student Performance; Documenting the Trajectory of your Teaching and Teaching as Scholarship. Chapters were written by leaders in medical education and research who draw upon extensive professional experience and the literature on best practices in education. Although designed for teachers, the work reflects a learner-centred perspective and emphasizes outcomes for student learning. The book is accessible and visually interesting, and the work contains information that is current, but not time-sensitive. The work includes recommendations for additional reading and an appendix with resources for medical education.

This innovative work is an introduction to Christian theology with a difference. Not only does it interpret, with clarity and energy, fundamental Christian beliefs but it also shows how and why these beliefs arose, promoting an understanding of theological reflection that encourages readers to think theologically themselves. From Irenaeus and Aquinas to Girard, from Augustine to Zizioulas and contemporary feminist thought, Divine Teaching explores the ways in which major thinkers in the Christian tradition have shaped theology through the wide variety of their encounters with God. It makes theological study adventurous and interactive, not necessarily requiring a faith commitment from all, but allowing readers a thoughtful involvement in the subject that takes seriously the Christian vision of God as the ultimate teacher of theology. Divine Teaching: An Introduction to Christian Theology is an imaginative and lively analysis of the Christian way of thinking, offering vivid and informing insight into the history and practice of Christian theology.

Sharing the stories of educators working in a diverse range of international contexts, Being a Teacher uses personal narratives to explore effective teaching and learning in global settings. Demonstrating how personal values influence pedagogical practice, and asking how practice can be improved, authors reflect on their experiences not just as teachers, but also as learners, to offer essential guidance for all prospective educational professionals. The book focuses on teacher narratives as a vehicle for consideration of teacher professionalism, and as a way of understanding issues which are important to teachers in different contexts. By sharing and analysing these narratives, the book discusses the increasing complexity of teaching as a profession, and considers the commonality within the narratives. Each chapter includes graphic representations of analysis and encourages its reader to reflect critically on central questions, thereby constructing their own narrative. Being a Teacher provides an in-depth and engaging insight into the education system at a global level, making it an essential read for anyone embarking on a teaching career within the international education market.