TTS38 finished up academics last week, completing final assignments and projects for each class. We wanted to take a little time to share what “finals” looked like here at TTS. In science class, students completed an investigation over nearly two weeks and presented at a final poster conference-style science symposium. In their literature class, they drew maps and wrote creative pieces that incorporated characters from each novel they read. For history class, they wrote responses to Chief Seattle’s famous speech, sharing much of what they’ve learned about Indigenous history and resilient futures!
For their capstone project in Global Studies, a two-credit interdisciplinary course, students were asked to make a zine, podcast, or other shareable media about an issue or topic that came to matter to them this semester. Every student chose to make a zine, and they wrote about topics as varied as food sovereignty, the Colorado River, the impacts of cattle and ranching on the environment, art as activism, and how the border wall affects wildlife.
Students recently presented copies of their zines to the group, sharing about what inspired them, what they’re proud of, and how they plan to share their zines in their communities. They are excited to put their (and their peers’) zines in public libraries, schools, cafés, little free libraries, and just share them with friends and family. We hope you get a chance to read their work in person!
We wanted to let students share about their work in their own words. Below are images of students with their completed zines and short blurbs they wrote about their zines.
Stella, The Colorado River Basin
“I made this zine to help give people reliable information about the Colorado River. This zine follows my personal journey with the Colorado River, including the people I’ve met and the things I’ve learned! Enjoy!”
Wyethe, Art Can Be Activism: Why Not?
“I made this zine about art activism, because on this semester we’ve learned so much about social and political issues and along with it we’ve seen a lot of resistance through art. It has been super impactful!”
Cora and Maylie, What’s Up with Cows in the Western US?
“Traveling in the West made us think: what’s up with cows in the Western US? We spent a lot of time on BLM land with cows and wanted to share our experience.”
Ella and Emma, How the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall Affects Wildlife
“We wrote a zine about the southern border wall, focusing on the effects it has on wildlife! We want people to know that the wall is more than just a debate topic, it is a real issue that has real consequences.”
Patricia, Food Sovereignty
“My zine is about food sovereignty and seed processing. These two topics can influence our lives while having an impact on the biodiversity of our ecosystem.”
Chloe, The West is Not a Monolith
“Since meeting author Betsy Quammen in September, I’ve been inspired by the idea of diving into and breaking apart the Monoliths of the West. This zine combines experiences I’ve had on my travels and art I enjoyed creating!”
Nell, Overt vs. Covert Racism
“I made this zine because I think it’s important to understand that racism is not always a conscious act. I want the dominant race in my community (white people) to begin to understand our privilege.”
Tess, Humans Divided: A Zine about the Southern Border
“I made my zine because I was very inspired by what we learned about the border. There’s so much more to the southern border than is talked about in mainstream media!”
