Culture Zines: Using Creativity to Humanize the Virtual Classroom

• In Event: Pop Culture in/as Education

Abstract

This proposal outlines a basic interpretive qualitative study examining a culture zine assignment in an online education class. Eighteen graduate students created zines (handmade magazines) about aspects of their culture. These zines were shared with classmates using the video sharing tool Flip. Students also wrote reflections about the process, and the reflections, zines, and videos were gathered and analyzed for emergent themes to determine how participants created meaning from the assignment. In seeing each other’s zines, students expanded the boundaries of their understanding of culture–both their own and others’. This study highlights the potential for community building and cultural expression within teacher education courses and presents a model for democratizing and humanizing the learning process through accessible and creative pedagogical approaches.

Authors

• Alexandra J Reyes, Georgia Southern University

• Lucas John Jensen, Georgia Southern University