Author: admin

Instructions: Summary: create a zine related to the topic listed below. A zine is a self-published magazine that has roots in the punk scene and various other underground and independent arts scenes. They provide a way to connect musicians with fans and other like-minded individuals and provide a forum to discuss important cultural and political issues, share resources, and critique larger social and political systems. Your zine can include use of first person where relevant and does not need to maintain an academic tone throughout. Creating Your Zine You can design your zine using computer art, graphics, hand drawn images and illustrations that are scanned to be included, and/or collages of images you have collected from other sources. Your zine should be thoughtful, engaging, and interesting to look at. Topic: Gender, Branding and Pop a. This topic will require you to critically discuss the Lifecycle Model described by Kristin Lieb (other document) . Your zine might focus on one artist throughout or a handful to illustrate the different phases. Remember that the Lifecycle Model applies to female pop stars (not rappers or rock bands), and that not all female pop artists navigated the Lifecycle Model. ▪ Keep in mind that an artist with only one or two albums will not have moved past the Temptress phase and therefore will not provide enough material to warrant an entire Zine that revolves around them. b. Artist: Beyoncé c. You will need a page following your Letter that explains the Lifecycle Model for the reader. d. Your spotlight might focus on the artist’s good girl debut and perhaps even transition to temptress, leaving the other phases to be explored on subsequent pages e. Within this topic, you might include a page that considers the issue of age in Lifecycle (whether that’s the issue of debuting at a young age or the issuing of ageing out). f. You might include a page that describes the brand of the artist in your spotlight and whether it’s been successful or not ▪ Remember, branding is not a phase in the LM. It is the messages and narratives you take away from engaging with the artist g. You might include a page on voice policing that explores the tension women face to sexualize themselves (ie. to become a temptress) and the criticism that inevitably follows, using specific examples remember to include specific music examples to illustrate your points, citing lyrics wherever necessary. Requirements and Elements of the Zine: 1. Requirements: i. Your zine should be 9 pages, including the front cover and bibliography. ii. Your zine should consist of no less than 2000 words, excluding the bibliography. Please do not exceed 2500 words. iii. Each page should be approximately the size of a slide or word doc page. Do not divide these into two. iv. Your zine should not include video v. It should be in a casual tone – no thesis, body paragraphs or conclusion
2. Your zine should consist of the following elements: i. Front cover – Include a title, your name, and course code ii. Letter from the Editor ▪ This should serve as an introduction to your zine. Think of this as an informal way to let the reader know what to expect in the pages that follow ▪ Your letter should immediately follow the front cover and be approximately 300 words iii. Artist Spotlight ▪ Choose an artist who relates to your topic and describe how their music/career relate to the topic of your zine. • This should not be a biography • The artist should be discussed in a critical manner in relation to your topic of choice ▪ Approximately 500-700 words ▪ The spotlight can come anywhere between your Letter and Closing Remarks. ▪ Your entire zine does not have to revolve around this artist. This page is an opportunity to discuss one woman related to your topic in a meaningful manner. Feel free to incorporate other women we have discussed in class on the other pages of your zine. Example: Brittany spears, Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, Rihanna iv. The next 4 pages may draw upon the following elements. ▪ Top 3/5/10 list • Ie. Top 3 videos confronting respectability, heteronormativity, or the Jezebel trope etc. ▪ Statistics related to your theme ▪ ▪ FAQs • For Gender and Branding, for example, a FAQ page following your Letter introducing the reader to the concept of the Lifecycle Model would be useful. • A FAQ page could also outline what respectability, or the Jezebel trope are, for example. ▪ Advice Column (ie. how not to police women, or how to create a successful brand) ▪ Historical timelines related to your theme (ie. important women or performances related to your topic) ▪ Music Review (Album or Concert) • Must relate to topic ▪ Critiques of sexist, racist or homophobic reviews or interviews (ie. critique a review that polices a particular artist) • Alternatively, write a satirical review of a male artist that ‘flips the scriipt,’ drawing the attention the absurdity of the policing women face *If you choose to include a Top 3/5/10 list, Timeline, or Statistics be sure to provide brief explanations for your choices. Simply listing a number of women musicians or statistics without explanation or context will receive ‘Needs Improvement’ on the rubric.* v. Closing Remarks ▪ Approximately 300 – 400 words ▪ This should effectively summarize your zine ▪ Do not introduce new ideas or artists who have not been discussed elsewhere in the zine. vi. The 9th page (following closing remarks) should be a bibliography ▪ The bibliography should be formatted using MLA citation style ▪ The bibliography should contain a minimum of 5 sources, two of which must be academic/peer reviewed. You may exceed the required number of sources. Sources to be used are titled: Gender_Branding_and_the_Modern_Music_Industry_The_…_—-_(4_THE_LIFECYCLE_FOR_FEMALE_POPULAR_MUSIC_STARS)
3. Journal of Popular Music Studies
4. Women and Music: A Journal of Gender and Culture
5. International Journal of Cultural Studies
6. Celebrity Studies
7. Popular Music and Society
▪ Avoid using MA Theses or PhD Dissertations for your academic sources ▪ Use of unreliable websites such as Wikipedia is strictly prohibited ▪ Required Readings will not count towards the 5 sources ▪ Lecture material should be cited ▪ Because we will not be distributing the zines, you do not need to worry about citing images Two Final Notes Regarding the Content and Pages: 1. Please do not include videos or links in your zine. Links are only permitted for citation purposes. 2. When constructing your zine be sure to provide variety in the pages. You should not have multiple Top 5 lists or FAQ pages, for example. Tips for Editing Your Zine: i. When editing your zine pay attention to how your creative choices effect the readability of the zine ii. The text should not be obscured by images iii. Ensure the text clearly stands out from the background and is an appropriate size iv. Be strategic with your image choices. They should relate to the topic and no clutter the page. Marking Scheme: An ‘Outstanding’ zine will be creative, thoughtful, organized, and demonstrate a deep understanding of the theme presented. Consider the following questions while you create your zine. • Do you communicate and integrate ideas appropriate to the topic? • Do you include details (facts, examples, descriiptions) to support, develop and illustrate your ideas? • Do you demonstrate a thoughtful engagement with the ideas, information, and issues presented during class? • Do you have an effective opening and closing to your zine? • Does the writing and various elements of the zine maintain focus on the topic you have chosen? • Is your zine creative and interesting to look at? • Have you cited appropriately, met the required number of academic sources, and utilized the correct MLA citation style?