Zines

Zines are an old and honored form of publication; for example, Thomas Paine's Common Sense (a key document for urging Americans to revolt against England) might now be considered a zine, and innumerable religious and political protesters from the mid 1600s through today have used the form to make their views known.  Thus, it's accurate to say that zines have a long history in Western culture.

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The Project

This term, our task will be to create a zine devoted to "digital redlining." We will become experts on the subject, and we will produce an insightful, provocative little publication that examines how a an evil practice has returned to our land.

"Redlining" refers to the old banking practice of drawing red lines around areas where specific ethnic or racial groups lived . . . or could not live. "Redlining" originally referred to charging more (or refusing) to provide financial services, insurances, etc. to specific groups.  The term has been generalized to include any form of discrimination based on data that indirectly identify people on the basis of ethnicity, gender, race, and other such categories.. Digital redlining refers to digital profiling that produces discriminatory practices.

Background Knowledge

As we have discussed (see Key Concepts), good writing requires that you have background in the subject.  Thus, you'll need to read about both zines and digital redlining to successfully complete the assignments listed on the calendar. I expect you to "read around" on these topics, but most of your reading will come from links that I supply. See the annotated list below, and treat it as a starting point for finding other background material that will enrich your writing. Many of these readings. Complete a TEQ Sheet for each reading you complete. Doing more than the minimum requirements will raise your grade.

Introductory material about zines

1. •A useful introduction to zines is available on Wikipedia.  Begin your education about these publications by going to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zine .
   

1. •For the nuts and bolts of making a zine, visit http://www.rookiemag.com/2012/05/how-to-make-a-zine/
   

1. •Another useful guide to making your own zine is http://www.creativebloq.com/print-design/make-your-own-zines-11410390
   

1. •For a sense of the homemade style of these publications, go to images.google.com and search for "zine."  You might wish to add another term such as "zine + punk" or "zine + feminism" or "zine + grafitti"
   

Introductory material about redlining and digital redlining

1. •Many of our discussion will use terms like "digital footprint," "algorithm," "big data," and "personalization."  Begin to understand these terms by reading the short glossary available at http://re-think.us/glossary.html . 
   

1. •For an annotated bibliography about issues related to digital redlining, go to www.re-think.us and read the materials under each of the links on the drop-down menu.  Note that the "basics" link explains what you'll find in each of the readings.
   

1. •A very simple introduction to digital redlining is available at http://broadbandandsocialjustice.org/2015/03/look-back-but-move-forward-digital-redlining-in-the-21st-century/ .
   

1. •Koenig, Thomas and Rustad, Michael. "Digital Scarletters: Social Media Stigmatization of the Poor and What Can Be Done" offers a detailed explanation of "the ways that increased Internet and social media usage is a catalyst for advancing equality but also can devalue the uneducated and the poor. The Internet has lifted the veil of individual privacy, so that information about factors like race, class, gender, sexual orientation, obesity, physical handicaps, unpopular opinions, and nonmainstream clothing styles become easily visible to employers, potential employers, college admissions personnel, law enforcement officials, welfare providers, loan companies, landlords, merchants, and many other societal decision makers.  http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2605173
   

1. •Senators Orrin Hatch and Edward Markey come from different political parties, but their comments on student privacy are important: http://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/241997-protecting-student-privacy-in-the-digital-age .  Use the glossary and other readings on re-think.us to sharpen your understanding of this issue.
   

1. •For an interesting video presentation about the limited types of information we receive, watch Eli Pariser's TED talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles?language=en
   

1. •Who gets to have privacy in the U.S.? See https://medium.com/message/which-students-get-to-have-privacy-e9773f9a064
   

1. •How are "smart" appliances a potential threat to privacy? For an overview, read consumers-privacy.pdf
   

1. •For an example of a policy from Macomb that raises questions of privacy and control, read acceptable-use-no-comments.pdf .  For annotations of this policy, read acceptable-use.pdf .
   

1. •For an example of a project -- "Guided Pathways" --  at Macomb that raises questions about class and education, read GPS_Summary_FINAL.pdf
   

Student Discoveries:

Examples

TEQ Sheets: [insert student examples]

Purpose & Problem Statement: redlining-sample-pp.pdf

Prospectus: redlining-sample-prospectus.pdf

Zine page: zine-culik2.pdf

The Assignments

Visit the "calendar" link at the top of this page for a day-by-day listing of the steps that will lead to the creation of our zine.