The Zine Project: Innovation or Oxymoron?
"The Zine Project: Innovation or Oxymoron?" by Tobi Jacobi appeared in the English Journal, vol. 96, no. 4; March 2007
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"Zines are typically single-authored, handmade, do-it-yourself, creativepublications centered on themes and issues that explore the personal and the political, the extraordinary and the mundane" (The Zine Project, p 44)
The allure that Zines may have, given the above definition, is obvious. Students just want a chance to say "This is mine. I did this and I'm proud" Coupled with a teacher recognition of students' out-of-school literacy practices as Guzzetti and Gamboa describe, Zines are a win-win situation for students. They can produce, author, and design texts that are relevant and importat in their own lives; teachers are happy because students are writing on their own!
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What would Renee Hobbs say about this? ... She'd say that Zines are a great tool for getting kids to re-think the accepted norms of our society. Authoring content is yet another way for students to look critically at the society and world in which they live. This critical look is the main purpose of Concord High School's media literacy program. If Zines really are as the article says ("an act of civil disobedience; a tool for inspiring other forms of activism..." 44), then they embody the principles of Concord's program.
In her book, Hobbs writes
"All media texts are "re-presentations" of reality. As one of the keyconcepts of media literacy, students learn that messages are intentionally composed, written, framed, cropped, and created by people who are involved in constructing message for a specific purpose, and that media messages represent some aspects of lived experience. (74).
Writing a Zine can empower the writer to question the stereotypes that media and our society presents us with. Concord's Media Literacy program does the very same thing only in a different format.
If teachers can become aware of who their students really are, and what motivates them to read and write, and learn how adolescents develop, practice, and refine their literacies outside of school, educators will be better equipped to connect those out-of-school literacy practices to the work students do in school -Barbara J. Guzzetti and Margaret Gamboa ~ 'Zines for Social Justice: Adolescent Girls Writing on their Own
7 comments:
Megan,
Your comparison of Tobi Jacobi's "The Zine Project" and Renee Hobbs opinions is wonderful. But I'd like to hear more about your thoughts nthis subject. We know that Jacobi and Hobbs feel that Zines are important for students to take part in. Do you feel the same way? If s, how would you plan to incorporate Zines n your classroom.
I know reading the article, I felt a bit unsure of how I would personally bring Zines into the classroom, even though there is a large rage to use them.
What do YOU think?
Jess B.
Nice post Megan. I so appreciate the lucidity of your blog syntheses. You are such a fine reader/writer/thinker.
Jess-
I also think that Zines, while they're are a beneficial and diverse method for students to express themselves, may be difficult to incorporate into the classroom.
I'd probably use the Zine as a group or individual project for the culminating section of a unit on media literacy. It's a great to demonstrate analysis, synthesis, and reflection on what students have uncovered in the media.
Nice brief and this post helped me alot in my college assignement. Thanks you as your information.
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