Course

Papermaking Processes in the Global East

H 230v
  • Instructor(s)
    Radha Pandey
  • Course ID
    H-230v
  • Location
    Online Only
  • Length
    22 hours
  • Date
    15 September–16 October 2026 
  • Course Meeting Times
    Tuesdays 2:00–4:30 p.m. ET
    Fridays 2:00–4:00 p.m. ET 
  • Fee
    $1,200. Fee includes the cost of materials, which RBS will supply. Tuition payment is due in full a week prior to the first class meeting. A portion of the tuition payment ($250) will be retained as a deposit should a student withdraw from the course.
  • Application Deadline
    The first-round application deadline is 20 July 2026, after which applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the course fills.
    If you see the Apply Now button below, we are currently accepting applications for this course. If you don't see an Apply Now button, the course is closed to applications. Read more about the application process.
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Course Description

This intensive hands-on course will provide an overview of the history of papermaking with a focus on five major paper traditions and techniques. Through lectures, demonstrations, readings, and hands-on activities, we will cover a general history of papermaking; proto-papers; and Himalayan, Japanese, Indian, and European paper traditions. 

The teaching days are divided between theoretical learning and practical application. In order to complete assignments during the week, students will be expected to make paper using materials and tools that are provided or easily available to them. 

The last two sessions will be spent learning and applying finishing techniques like sizing and burnishing to all that was produced during the length of the course. 

At the conclusion of the ten-session course, students will have gained in-depth knowledge of five papermaking traditions from around the globe and their histories, along with the practical knowledge to make paper on their own.  

Faculty

A dark-haired woman in a black hoodie with a picture of a watermelon slice on it stands in front of a tree trunk in tree-filled park.

Radha Pandey

Radha Pandey is a book artist, papermaker, and letterpress printer. She earned her M.F.A. in Book Arts from the University of Iowa Center for the Book. She specializes in Indo-Islamicate Papermaking and teaches book …

Advanced Reading List

Reading List TBA

Course History

  • 2026–

    Radha Pandey teaches this course.