At UBC Arts, learning doesn’t stop at lectures, readings, or final papers. It continues through student-led publications and peer-to-peer collaborations with support from faculty.
Faculty of Arts undergraduate journals are built by students, for students. They are spaces to experiment, question, and contribute, where your work can live beyond a single course and become part of a larger conversation.
- Deepen your research and strengthen your academic work.
- Refine your writing voice and develop a clear sense of audience and purpose.
- Build practical skills in collaboration, communication, and critical review through editorial or production roles.
- Connect with peers across disciplines, cultures, and perspectives.
- Contribute to ongoing conversations around community, identity, social impact, and more.
- Center voices and perspectives that might otherwise go unheard.
First Year Programs
The ONE
The ONE showcases writing from first-year students participating in the Arts One program. The pieces published often blend literature, philosophy, and cultural analysis. ONE showcases some of the best student work from the year, highlighting the original and sophisticated arguments that students have developed about the texts they have read in the courses.
The Capsule
Led by faculty and run by a student and alumni editorial team, The Capsule journal brings together work from across all five Coordinated Arts Programs (CAP) streams. The result is a diverse, interdisciplinary glance of the ideas and research happening within the CAP community.
Literature and Humanities
Beacon: UBC Journal of Media Studies
Beacon is an annual, student-led multimedia journal featuring undergraduate work on media and technology from the School of Journalism Writing and Media Studies. Peer- and faculty-reviewed, it brings together creative and academic pieces that explore media from fresh perspectives. Students can submit up to four original works each year.
Cinephile
Cinephile is a graduate student-edited, board-reviewed journal from UBC’s Cinema and Media Studies program in the Department of Theatre and Film, publishing essays, research papers, and book reviews across film theory, history, criticism, and visual culture. While focused on graduate-level scholarship, undergraduate writing and film reviews may also be considered on merit.
Undergraduate Journal of Art History and Visual Culture
The Undergraduate Journal of Art History and Visual Culture highlights student research on art history, visual culture, and critical theory. Published annually from the Department of Art History and Visual Arts, it brings together work from across disciplines and provides a space for both scholarly and creative approaches to visual media.
UBC Journal of Historical Studies
The UBC Journal of Historical Studies is a student-run publication featuring research exploring diverse historical topics and methodologies. Supported by the Department of History and student associations, the journal is peer- and faculty-reviewed. It publishes an annual issue each spring, with submissions collected in the fall and winter.
UBC Journal of Philosophical Enquiries
The UBC Journal of Philosophical Enquiries features essays that explore philosophical questions, arguments, and traditions. Showcasing standout undergraduate writing from across Canada, the journal is reviewed by faculty and edited by students—offering both a platform for strong scholarship and hands-on publishing experience supported by the Department of Philosophy.
Social Sciences
The Journal of Political Studies
Published annually in partnership with the Department of Political Science, this journal features top student papers across areas like Canadian and U.S. politics, international relations, and political theory. It is also a great way to gain hands-on experience with academic publishing and peer review.
UBC Journal of International Affairs
The Journal of International Affairs (JIA) is UBC’s longest-running undergraduate journal, established in 1985 by the Department of International Relations.
Student-run and internationally distributed, it publishes original research — spanning global security, trade, and development — selected through blind peer and faculty review.
Sojourners: Undergraduate Journal of Sociology
Sojourners is an undergraduate sociology journal from UBC Department of Sociology, exploring social structures, inequalities, and lived experiences. The first peer- and faculty-reviewed undergraduate sociology publication in North America, it showcases standout work from UBC students.
Trail Six
Trail Six is a nationally recognized, student-run journal supported by the Department of Geography. The Trail Six journal is open-access and showcases a wide range of geography topics at the intersection of the natural and social sciences, supporting the global exchange of knowledge.
The IONA Journal of Economics
Published annually, The IONA Journal of Economics highlights outstanding student work and fosters dialogue between students and faculty at the Vancouver School of Economics. Its name reflects a tradition of scholarship and learning, inspired by both the UBC economics building and the historic Scottish island of Iona.
Identity and regional studies
Augenblick
Augenblick is an undergraduate academic journal published by the UBC German Studies program within the Department of Central, Eastern, and Northern European Studies. The journal offers students a platform to share their work and gain hands-on publishing experience. Augenblick is completed in consultation with German Studies faculty members.
Ignite: The Undergraduate Journal for GRSJ
Ignite showcases intersectional feminist scholarship from UBC students, publishing both academic and creative work exploring themes of feminism and systems of oppression, including racism, colonialism, sexism. Supported by the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice, Ignite provides an interdisciplinary platform for students to share critical, expressive work.
LOGOS
LOGOS is a Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies undergraduate journal featuring student work on the ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern world. It welcomes a range of submissions, from academic essays and translations to visual art and creative writing, offering different ways of engaging with ancient cultures and histories.
Tributaries
Tributaries is a multidisciplinary journal rooted in UBC’s Asian Canadian and Asian Migration (ACAM) studies program, exploring lived experiences, migration, identity, and community. It publishes work from undergraduate and recent graduates across genres, from essays and poetry to visual and multimedia art. The journal centres marginalized voices and supports submissions through an editorial revision process rather than peer review.
The Scanner
The Scanner is an undergraduate journal focused on Scandinavian and Nordic studies, publishing work across disciplines from history and literature to anthropology. It features both academic and creative submissions, with opportunities to contribute as a writer or editor within a student-led editorial process in consultation with faculty from the Department of Central, Eastern, and Northern European Studies. This journal is run by the UBC Scandinavian and Nordic Student Association.
Whether you’re refining a research paper, experimenting with interdisciplinary thinking, or exploring questions of identity and culture, these journals reflect the breadth of inquiry across Arts. Arts Undergraduate Journals showcase emerging voices, foster curiosity and critical engagement, and highlight the questions students are exploring as they take their learning further.
