Shop Girls to Show Girls: Teaching Resources on New York's Working Class for Community College Students

FAIN: AE-277675-21

FIT (New York, NY 10001-5992)
Kyunghee Pyun (Project Director: July 2020 to present)
Rebecca Hope Bauman (Co Project Director: December 2020 to present)
Vincent G. Quan (Co Project Director: December 2020 to present)

The development of curriculum and resources illuminating the history of labor in career areas such as fashion design, retail services, and advertising and marketing.

"Shop Girls to Show Girls" an interdisciplinary project intended to improve student understanding of the historical contexts for the professional fields they are pursuing. The initiative is being developed to address needs initially identified by faculty during a pilot project at FIT. The pilot revealed that the inclusion of robust labor history in pre-professional course curricula can have broad value for a diversity of disciplines at community colleges. "Shop Girls to Show Girls" is grounded on the premise that the humanities bring essential context and a deeper subject understanding to pre-profession studies. By learning about the historical influences that have shaped the professions they will enter, community college students will be better-prepared for the demands of the 21st-century workplace. This knowledge will enhance their own careers and potentially empower them to improve the industries in which they are working.

Associated Products

Program (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Program
Author: Kyunghee Pyun
Abstract: This session is to present a three-year interdisciplinary research project called Shop Girls to Show Girls: Teaching Resources on New York’s Working Class for Community College Students funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Education Grant from 2021 to 2024. Professors in the School of Business and Technology have participated in this project upon collaboration with professors in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Professors in Fashion Business Management will present case studies. There have been three modes: 1) Inserted segment in the form of mini lesson: anecdotes like film clips or interview used prompts to emphasize labor conditions, sometimes using life experiences of teachers or known figures; 2) A full lesson plan with a unit of more structured teaching using readings, digital resources, lectures, and discussions to spend 3-6 hours; 3) A new course: some faculty fellows are writing a new course focusing on a specific industry’s labor conditions or a group’s working conditions. The website (laborstudies.fitnyc.edu) makes types of materials available: film clips, newspaper articles, job ads, lyrics of popular songs, census data, art works, graphic posters, Panelists will emphasize upcoming opportunities for collaboration: presenting at conferences, writing a book together, or applying for research grants.
Date: 03/08/2023
Primary URL: http://https://news.fitnyc.edu/event/the-inaugural-baker-school-academic-symposium/

Website for teaching resources (Web Resource)
Title: Website for teaching resources
Author: Kyunghee Pyun
Author: Rebecca Bauman
Author: Vincent Quan
Abstract: Shop Girls to Show Girls: Teaching Resources on New York’s Working Class for Community College Students Welcome to the project site for Shop Girls to Show Girls, an NEH-funded, interdisciplinary project intended to improve student understanding of the historical contexts for the professional fields they are pursuing. On this site, you can find information on the development of this project, as well as a collection of curricular materials that address the New York City region’s working-class history.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: https://laborstudies.fitnyc.edu/
Primary URL Description: Shop Girls to Show Girls: Teaching Resources on New York’s Working Class for Community College Students

Conscience: Commemorating Labor History in Fashion Industry (Exhibition)
Title: Conscience: Commemorating Labor History in Fashion Industry
Curator: Kyunghee Pyun
Abstract: An Exhibition of Art Projects by FIT Students for Reflections on Realities of Labor, Equity, and Social Justice. Dates: January 31 to May 24, 2024 Location: Fifth Floor, Gladys Marcus Library, Fashion Institute of Technology This exhibition is to showcase how the fashion industry is intertwined with labor history of the United States. This is related to a three-year research project of teaching labor history to art and design students funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities Education Grants (PI: Kyunghee Pyun; Co PIs: Vincent Quan and Rebecca Bauman). Professor Susanne Goetz in Textile and Surface Design, Professor Su Ku in Fashion Design, Professor Subh Gooptu in English and Communication Studies collected students’ projects related to the theme of labor history in their classes. Some are written essays while some are idea sketches along with sewn examples. Relevant books in the library are also displayed with presentations by FIT students. Curator: Kyunghee Pyun, History of Art Curatorial Assistant: Sally Li, Textile Development and Marketing Graphic Designer: Jungmin Hur, Illustration
Year: 2024
Primary URL: https://laborstudies.fitnyc.edu/conscience-commemorating-labor-history-in-fashion-industry/

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