Date: 2026-03-30
Before diving into individual project proposals, we’ll practice close reading and ethnographic observation using physical artifacts from various subcultures: zines. Work independently to analyze unfamiliar cultural objects, then share what you discovered with the class.
Zines are ephemeral, participant-created, under-documented—like many digital spaces and communities. They’re primary sources for understanding subcultures (punk, riot grrrl, DIY movements, fan communities). Connection to Preserving Worlds: both are about communities creating and preserving their own culture on their own terms.
Today you’re researchers encountering artifacts from unfamiliar subcultures. What can you learn from close observation? What questions emerge? What methods would help you understand these better?
Your task: Pick 1-2 zines, spend time with them, take notes, then share your findings.
Browse the zine collection and choose 1-2 that interest you. Spend time reading, observing, and taking notes however feels natural to you.
Prompts to consider:
Work at your own pace. You might dive deep into one zine, or compare several.
Each person has 3-5 minutes to:
Quick debrief:
Bridge to semester project: The process you just did—observe closely, ask questions, figure out what method fits—is what your class project proposal should demonstrate. Your prototype is like showing the zine to the class: here’s what I’m looking at, here’s what I’m noticing, here’s where I’m going.
Here’s what we’re working toward for our class final project:
An experimental documentary, podcast, audio essay, video essay, or similar multimedia piece that uses one or more research methods explored in the course (7 - 15 minutes). This should demonstrate your methodology in practice—whether that’s ethnographic observation, critical fabulation, archival investigation, or hybrid approaches.
Leading up to that, please write a proposal for your final project. Include:
Pick an emergent online subculture or community you’ve identified to research.
1. Research Question/Curiosity: What are you investigating? Frame this as genuine curiosity, not a predetermined argument. What do you want to understand better?
2. Methodology: Which research method(s) will you use? Why are these appropriate for your question? Ethnography? Analyze texts or platforms (close reading)? Work with archives or memory? Use your own experience (autoethnography)? Fabulation? Combine approaches?
3. Media Form: Why documentary, podcast, video essay, or audio piece (etc)? What can this form do that a written essay can’t? What aesthetic or structural choices will you make?
4. Failed Experiments: What have you tried that didn’t work? What dead ends taught you something? This is crucial—research is messy.
5. Prototype Description: Describe your 2-3 minute sample. What will it show about your approach?
6. Timeline & Next Steps: What do you need to do in the next few weeks?
Be specific but stay flexible. The point is to articulate your thinking so far, not lock yourself into something that might not work.
Presentation: Present your proposal in class (5 minutes) along with your brief prototype or proof-of-concept.