Welcome To This Course
a newsletter on the cultural media, moments, and movements we're all hungry for
Welcome to This Course, a new culture newsletter by me, Zoe Christen Jones.
I'm a journalist, culture writer, and extremely unwilling member of Gen-Z. While I doubt you know me, you may have seen some of my work in places like CBS News, Vox, MEL Magazine, Vulture, Forbes, Refinery 29, and Newsweek.
Why did I make this?
For me, culture has always been the most interesting part of being a corporeal being who is both capable of contemplating the purpose of the universe and still loses chunks of time scrolling on Twitter.
As a writer, I’ve always been obsessed with the way discourse rules our days. It is a product of our unique time that in the hour I wake up, I can develop an opinion on a transphobic author, share support for a killer Nancy Meyers thinkpiece, or express why I think Hozier is the king of cottagecore, all before I get coffee.
But when I think about the discourse that defines our current era, I’m also fascinated by how the things that capture our attention differ. Some trends are appetizers without substance, doses of news and irrelevant opinions that are forgotten by the time we open our mouths again, while others are full-blown meals, transformative moments that sit with us, some satisfying and others heavy weights in our stomachs. Most of all, we get tired of the discourse we see again and again, just like most readers should be tired of this extended metaphor by now.
The purpose of this newsletter isn’t to clutter your inbox, but to give a fun helpful rundown on the trends, in a way that’s both funny and makes us think about the larger structures our discourse falls into.
So what is This Course?
This Course is a newsletter that I could call weekly-ish if I was confident I would post on time.
Regardless, This Course will provide cultural analysis, not just on news, but on the silly, mundane, or earth-shattering things we’re talking about online.
Each newsletter will be a menu on what cultural moments catch our eyes, with a description of the discourse’s ingredients, and a Course Rating that lets you know whether it’s ok to remain ignorantly bliss or if you have to pay attention for next time around.
So should you subscribe?
Well, if you’ve clicked on this link, something about a newsletter dedicated to culture must have piqued your interest. And even if you’re not “into” culture, for better or worse, it’s already an intrinsic part of your life— why not read about how it’s apart of mine?
You can sign up now so you don’t miss the first issue. You can also look at my photos, or follow me on Twitter so you know exactly what I’m thinking before I think it.
In the meantime, tell your friends!