The DeCal

DeCal is a student-run democratic education program at the University of California, Berkeley. UCB Students can create and facilitate their own classes on a variety of subjects. Our DeCal, Imaginarium, is for appreciating works of Speculative Fiction, going through the process of what it takes to get a zine up and running, and publishing a wholly original and imaginative collection of quality works.

Students’ role in the DeCal will be reading and selecting the best art and writing submissions for publishing consideration. They will also have to complete a creative writing assignment or a Speculative Fiction presentation by the end of the course in order to pass. Authors' submissions that make it to the final round for publishing consideration will receive thoughtful criticisms/reviews from everyone in the DeCal. Keep in mind that students who go the extra mile and make significant contributions to the zine will be formally recognized in the publication.

As for what will go on during class time, students will break up into weekly assigned groups to discuss the submissions. After the group discussion there will be a class discussion followed by a democratic vote. At the end of class there will be lectures from experts like UCB’s Donna Jones, a presentation from a theoretical physicist, and much more!