I’m a sophomore at a liberal arts women’s college, and I’m taking Women’s Studies 100 (the intro to women’s studies course). In this class, each student must create a zine as part of a semester-long project. Here’s the whole outline on the syllabus:

Multi-­‐Part Term Project: Zine (40%)

The bulk of your grade for this class will be derived from a semester--long project made up of several parts. You will pick an issue pertinent to the field of Women’s Studies and research it throughout the term. Some suggestions include: violence against women or LGBTQ persons, sexual assault on college campuses, institutional racism, disability rights, the campaign to raise the minimum wage (a.k.a.“the  pay  gap”), environmental racism, climate change, representations of a particular group in the media, animal rights, heteronormativity, reproductive justice, body norms (i.e.  fat stigma) and beauty standards, violent masculinity, misogyny, the prison industrial complex, poverty, access to education, access to healthcare, or even histories left out of US feminist history (i.e. multicultural feminisms). I welcome other ideas and want you to chose something that interests you. 

1. Select Topic (5%) Due: Sept  13 You will write a paragraph about your topic, how it relates to Women’s Studies, and why are you interested in researching it. 

2. Dipity timeline (10%) Due: Sept 22 Dipity is a free program that enables you to create digital timelines. We will practice using the program in class. Using Dipity, you will create a timeline of major historical moments or happenings related to your topic. For example, if my topic is sexism in the workplace, I would include the history of the Equal Rights Amendment in my timeline. I would also include recent historical context like the passing  of  the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 as well as the passage of significant sexual harassment laws. You must include 8 dates pertinent to your object. 

3. SQuIDS analysis of a scholarly article (15%) Due: Oct 11 SQuIDS stands for: Select a Quotation, Identify, and Discuss the Significance. For this assignment, you will locate a scholarly article on your topic and analyze it using the SQuIDS model.

4. Film  review  (15%) Due: Nov 3 You will watch a documentary or fictional film related to your topic and write an analytical essay about the film’s treatment of your issue.

5. Zine outline (10%) Due: Nov 15 You will produce a detailed outline/table of contents for your zine, and bring in some samples of what you have created so far. *I will meet with each of you individually during class.

6.  Final  Zine  (45%) &  Zine  share Due: Dec 1 (*last day of class) Your zine will include revised versions of your a)  SQuIDS analysis and your b) film review. In addition to these elements, the following parts are required: c) cover and title d) artwork (original art is encouraged, but you may also create collages from magazines, your own photographs, or public domain images from the internet) e) profile of an organization addressing some facet of your issue f) conclude with a reflective essay on what you learned during the course of your research and zine construction. 

Other ideas for the remaining content of your zine (must have 8 pieces of writing total): •Feature work of art with an artist’s statement •Original poetry   •Interview (perhaps with someone from your featured organization) •Additional film reviews •Music (cd or concert) reviews •Book reviews •Article about an academic lecture or community event you attended (ASC and beyond)  

I know, that was a lot, and no one’s actually reading it. It’s more for me than it is for anyone else, really. But this is basically the entirety of what’s to come. 

There’s no real reason for me to be putting this on the internet. I just decided I wanted to, and I figure it might help with organization. And, besides, I’m the type of person to share anything I create, no matter the purpose or the quality. So here I am, sharing this with you.