A new literary and arts journal, Witness, is in the works at Boston College. The student-run publication will deal with issues of social justice based on experiences students have had through organizations such as 4Boston, Appalachia, PULSE, and Arrupe International Immersion Programs. Students in the elective course "Witness: Writings on Service, Spirituality, and Social Justice" will produce the journal, which will be published in hard copy and in an online version.
The journal is funded by the Center for Student Formation.
The two-semester course studies ethical aspects of works by writers within the context of social responsibility and focuses on how these authors used their voices as a means of bearing witness to oppression. Subsequently, students apply their studies by creating Witness, which will consist of submissions that reflect upon service work that students have performed.
"Witness is a sort of forum for all service work going on at BC. More than just service at BC, though, Witness is a magazine about social responsibility and so is open for any artistic medium pertaining to social responsibility," said John Belton, a student in the class and A&S '10.
"From PULSE to Arrupe, 4Boston and Appalachia, there are so many exciting service projects happening on campus but often times the experiences go unheard," said Amy Kasparian, A&S '10. "We want to provide a central location for undergraduate expression, conversation, and reflection."
The students in the class are the editorial board of the publication and manage everything from selecting submissions to designing the journal and Web site and overseeing production.
"We have been busy managing our budget, developing publicity plans, learning to utilize new online mediums so that we can blog, and deciding as a group on the magazine's appearance and content," said Matthew Botica, A&S '10, about the class.
"It's a very hands-on experience. We do not do regular class work always, but instead are given assignments to help in the production of the journal," said Gunnar Rawlings, A&S '11. "It has been a unique experience that has forced me to learn quickly."
The course is taught by Kathleen Hirsch, a professor in the philosophy department and PULSE program, who came up with an idea for a campus-wide, service-related journal after observing the many service projects on campus.
"I came into PULSE 10 years ago wanting to create an elective for students interested in not only doing service work but in doing that reflective piece about their experiences where they were processing it and trying to give voice to it in one way or another," Hirsh said. "I realized students were producing phenomenal work and that there were students all over campus who were going on trips and coming back and writing reflection pieces, and there was no place for them to go with their writing."
The goal in creating such a project is to allow the BC community to cross departmental lines and have an ongoing discussion about service in a new and unconventional way, Hirsch said. "Our hope is that Witness will be a central clearinghouse for everything happening on campus in terms of service and social justice, whether it be a rally at the state house, the action students take by writing letters to a legislator about an issue, and consumer responsibility."
Witness will include a myriad of different types of works including essays of various lengths, poetry, art portfolios, photography, journal entries, reflections, interviews, and blog entries that center on the reflective component of service.
"One of the things BC is so great about with service is insisting on the contemplative aspect of it," Hirsch said. "It isn't just about going out there and being busy, but coming back to class or coming back to your group and really understanding what this is all about that we are doing. How are we being useful as opposed to just intrusive or in it for our own enlightenment."
Submissions for the hard copy, which comes out in April, will be accepted until Dec. 3, 2009. The online Witness journal will go public next week and accepts rolling submissions.
The students in the Witness course are highly enthusiastic about the project. "I love the class," said Kathryn Niemer, A&S '10. "Since this is such a new thing, we are all in the same boat of learning and creating something we think will be really great for the Boston College community."
"I thought it would be a really nice way to wrap up my experience at Boston College considering that the PULSE Program was the most fulfilling element of my time here," Botica said. "Having something concrete to look back on will be great and I look forward to seeing how the journal evolves over the years. Boston College is the perfect place for a service-based social justice journal."
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