Canva

There are various free, easy-to-use (but with limited features) online platforms. I recommend Canva and the instructions I provide use Canva. However, you can use other platforms, even TikTok! 

Go to Canva. Create an account with any email you prefer. 

For your final social media campaign, you'll be graded on the following components: 

Content

Choose a topic that is 1) related to the course and 2) related to your state/city/community. Imagine you are presenting this topic to someone who has little to no background in criminal justice/victim studies. 

For each course, I have recommended topics: 

Topics for VCST4390: Violence Against Women

• Intimate partner violence/abuse

• Sexual assault

• Human trafficking

• Cybervictimization

• Forced marriage

• Sex work

• State violence against women (policing or prison/jail)

• Women's incarceration

For any of these topics, you must discuss the gendered nature of this topic (i.e., increased risks or specific contexts for women, LGBQ, or trans people). You can focus on specific populations or contexts (e.g., among racially marginalized groups, the military, college campuses). 

Topics for VCST4383/5383: Family Violence 

• Intimate Partner Violence/Abuse

• Child abuse (must link to abuse within the family)

• Elder abuse

• Sibling abuse

• Child welfare

• Fostercare to prison pipeline

• Children of incarcerated parents

• Animal abuse/pets and IPV

You can focus on specific types, characteristics, or populations (e.g., gender or cultural differences, differences across socioeconomic status, among women of color or LGBTQ+ people). 

Other topics will need approval via Blackboard. Please feel free to email or message me if you want feedback on an idea!! I am happy to chat! 

You cannot choose the abuse to prison pipeline or prison nurseries because my examples already cover that.

We have a very cool opportunity to make a social media campaign for a local organization that helps mothers connect with their children! I am REALLY excited about this and hope many of you choose this option. This is what we call service-learning, in which what you learn in the class can be applied to help real people and organizations in our community!! 

The Women’s Storybook Project of Texas (WSP) is a women’s prison program that connects children with their incarcerated mothers through the joy of literature. The primary goal of WSP is to reduce the rate of re-incarceration among incarcerated mothers by strengthening the mother-child connection through literature. This literature project requires volunteers to travel to Texas female prisons to record incarcerated mothers as they read stories to their children. These recordings provide a chance for children to hear their mother’s voice while they are away. Connecting the children and mothers helps provide a reason for the mothers to work hard not to return to prison. 

Read through their website for more information about WSP! 

Here is more information about WSP including how to volunteer.

WSP excludes political and/or religious views in all communication. 

Here is a template specifically for the service-learning project with colors and logos to use. This template has placeholders and an outline, but you will need to edit and add content, including visuals (see below)! 

Your social media campaign must contain the following information about your topic:

Background information

• • Define your topic/issue.  

  • Provide some relevant statistics/figures related to the topic.

  • Include at least one data visual (chart or graph). 

• • Explain why this topic is important or controversial. 

Solution or Recommendation(s)

• • Provide your proposed recommendation(s) to address the issue

  • Recommendations can include specific policy changes, contact information for local service providers, or instructions on how to volunteer or get involved!  I advise including 3-5 recommendations/resources. 

There is no word-length, however, there must be enough information to inform the public with little-to-no background and to make a compelling argument for your stance. The writing style should be professional and in third person (no “I” statements). 

Grading Criteria (0-20 points): 

• A topic related to the class was chosen (5 points)

• The campaign contains the required information above (10 points)

• The writing is professional, third person (5 points)

Images

Include at least one other graphic, such as clipart, icons, or photographs.

The one drawback of Canva is that many of their images are not free. You can always look up your own images and upload them. If you choose the paid images in Canva, this will have a watermark on the images when you download them. You can find free images on Google, or better yet free image sites like Pexels.

Images must be directly relevant to the issue. If your topic is on mass incarceration, does it make sense to have an image of a dog? Probably not. Also, be mindful of the images you choose. For example, if your topic is the death penalty, is showing a dead body the right message you want to convey? 

Grading Criteria (0-20 points):

• At least one data visual (10 points)

• At least one other image (5 points)

• The images are clear and do not have watermarks (5 points)

Examples of visuals

Visual Appeal 

Font should be legible and easy to read. Headings should have larger bold font. The flow should be easy to follow.

Try to avoid large areas of blank, unused space. Be intentional about how you use the space. 

Cohesive colors and font should be used. For example, if you are creating a social media campaign about IPV, purple is a great color choice because the purple ribbon is used to symbolize domestic violence awareness month. 

• January: National Stalking Awareness Month and National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month 

• February: Black History Month and Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month

• March: Women's History Month

• April: Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Awareness Month

• October: National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Grading Criteria: (0-20 points):

• Font and colors were used that are complimentary and easy to read (5 points) 

• Headings, colors, or shapes are cohesive (10 points)

• Space is used intentionally (5 points)

Reputable Sources

You must use reliable sources and cite them. Reputable sources include materials from class (i.e., reports, articles), peer-reviewed journal articles, credible news outlets and non-partisan (meaning not affiliated with a political group) research resources (e.g., The World Health Organization, The Sentencing Project, Vera Institute of Justice, Pew Research Center, Prison Policy Initiative, or The Marshall Project). Your interactivities provided you with statistics and reliable information on the topics above! Use them! Try to cite the original sources, not my powerpoints/videos. 

In Blackboard, there is a folder in the navigation pane under Resources called "Library Resources." That folder will also provide you guidance in finding sources. 

Now, this isn't to say you can't use a quote from someone with direct experience. Take a look at this infographic on dog training programs made by a former student. She found a quote from an incarcerated man who participated in a rehabilitation program. That was a great addition! But, she also had plenty of outsider knowledge to back up the quote.

NOTE: If you don't cite your sources, I won't know whether the information you used is reputable!!

Grading Criteria (0-20 points):

• The information cited is from reputable sources (20 points)

Format

As long as you use an Instragram template from Canva, you should be good to go! This is an easy 5 points. 

Social media campaigns are usually 5-8 images long (including title page and references). 

Grading Criteria (0-5 points):

• Content was created for a social media platform (5 points)

Criteria for Success

The best social media campaigns will address all of the required components above. They will define and describe a topic related to gender and victimization. They will be visually appealing with concise evidence-based information to build awareness about social issues. They will contain at least one data visual (chart or graph) and one image. They will cite all sources and provide policy recommendations. 

The expected time needed to complete this assignment is 9 hours. This includes gathering your information from reputable sources then summarizing/compiling your information into your social media campaign. 

Importantly, have fun! I chose this assignment over exams or papers to allow for creativity and self-expression.