Nuts and Bolts
Worth 15% of your grade in the course
Due after completion of Unit 1
There are two elements to this assignment: a zine and a personal reflection
Zine Creation Instructions
Required Components
Physically make the zine with any materials available to you: paper, magazines, flyers, writing tools, paint, glue, tape, glitter, etc.
Take pictures of your zine pages and upload them to the course assignment drop box (see instructions below).
If, for accessibility reasons, you are not able to physically make a zine or you cannot take pictures of one, you could make an audio zine. Please contact your tutor to discuss other alternatives.
Read the Zines for Inspiration section at the end of Unit 1 before starting. Then, create each page of your zine by considering the following questions:
Page 1: What calls you or inspires you to be an activist?
Page 2: In your imagination, what does an ideal society look like?
Page 3: What values guide your activism?
Page 4: What do systems of oppression look like to you?
Page 5: What are the intersections of your own privilege and oppression?
Page 6: What social movements and activists inspire you?
Personal Reflection Instructions
Required Components
Write from your own perspective and experiences.
Refer to 6 readings from Unit 1.
Refer to the Study Guide commentaries, web links, and resources when appropriate.
You might need to do extra research for question #3.
Define and use the 6 key concepts from Unit 1 in your answers. Bold the key concepts when you use them.
Use APA style for in-text citations and bibliography.
Format
This assignment should be submitted in a question-and-answer format—it is not an essay.
In a Word document, write a personal reflection that answers the questions below, and upload it to the course assignment drop box.
The required word count is indicated for each question.
Double-spaced pages; 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font.
If you do not have access to MS Word, please remember to save your document as a DOCX file before uploading it to the Moodle assignment drop box. Most commonly available (and free) word processing programs, such as OpenOffice, LibreOffice, Pages, or Google Docs, allow you to save your document in various file formats, including DOCX.
Questions to Answer (1,750 words in total)
What activism, groups, or movements have you been involved in? What kinds of activist actions have you participated in? If you have not participated in activism in any form, what social movements and activists inspire you? (250 words)
In your imagination, what does a good life look like? How do we engage in movements according to these values and imaginings? (500 words)
Pick a social or political issue that concerns you (excluding police abuses of Indigenous and racialized peoples). Answer the following questions in relation to your issue (1,000 words total):
Which oppressions (anti-Indigenous and anti-Black racism, ableism, capitalism, heteropatriarchy, transphobia, etc.) are relevant to the issue?
How do these oppressions function together?
How are these oppressions embedded in and perpetuated by government systems? Name and discuss the relevant government systems.
Who is affected by this structure of domination? How are they affected?
How do you experience privilege and oppression in relation to this issue?
Grading Rubric
Use of course theories and key concepts (5 marks)
(5 marks) Theories and key concepts well used in support of answers. Concepts thoughtfully applied and critically analyzed.
(3–4 marks) Theories and key concepts mentioned, several connections made in support of the answer.
(1–2 marks) Limited and / or weak connections made in support of answers.
Use of materials (5 marks)
(5 marks) Thoughtful use of course sources (including Study Guide commentary, web links, resources, and assigned readings and media), demonstrating a profound understanding of the texts and their arguments. All sources (information) are accurately documented in APA style in the text and bibliography.
(3–4 marks) Mostly good use of course materials, showing a general understanding of their arguments and relevance. Most sources (information) are accurately documented, but many are not in APA style in the text and bibliography.
(1–2 marks) Few or no sources used. Misuse of source text (misunderstanding source text, using text in ways that are not relevant to argument). Most sources (information) are not accurately documented in the text or bibliography.
Quality, creativity, and messaging (5 marks)
(5 marks) Project is creative and compelling. It uses a variety of layouts and materials, and a mix of text and images. It clearly presents the student’s point of view, emotions, and preoccupations as an activist.
(3–4 marks) Project presents a clear message, lacks creativity, or vice versa.
(1–2 marks) Project lacks creativity and does not have clear messages.