HSY-914 - Threads throughout History: Cultural Stories

Course Description

Women have used textiles, sewing, and needlework for centuries to express emotions and life stories. This class will explore inspiring chronicles showing how cloth and stitching capture cultural memories, tell powerful stories, celebrate beauty, and protest injustice. Based on Threads of Life by Clare Hunter, its perfect for needlework enthusiasts, history buffs, and those seeking emotional expression in a chaotic world. These textiles hold hope for the future. Note: Senior Cycle fee class. Students must be 55 years or older by start date in order to enroll in this class.

Learner Outcomes

Identify and describe five historical instances where women used sewing and needlework to express their emotions and life circumstances to other cultures; Summarize how the isolation of women's lives and their lack of power throughout history led to the importance of sewing and needlework as a medium for expression; Describe incidences where sewing and needlework created cultural and historical shifts and recognize how these shifts continue to impact modern culture; Define and evaluate the development of needlework as an expression of protest against social injustice; Explore how textiles hold hope for the future as modern women continue to struggle with the chaos of gender-based authority.