Universität Wien

124261 KO Critical Media Analysis (2022W)

Fans, Fandoms, Fan Works…and Those Who Study Them - Exploring the World of Fan Studies

6.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 27 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Tuesday 11.10. 10:15 - 11:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 18.10. 10:15 - 11:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 25.10. 10:15 - 11:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 08.11. 10:15 - 11:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 15.11. 10:15 - 11:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 22.11. 10:15 - 11:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 29.11. 10:15 - 11:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 06.12. 10:15 - 11:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 13.12. 10:15 - 11:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 10.01. 10:15 - 11:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 17.01. 10:15 - 11:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 24.01. 10:15 - 11:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Tuesday 31.01. 10:15 - 11:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Who is a “fan”? What constitutes fandom? In which ways can fannish productions & practices (fan art, fanfic, fanvids, cosplay, ..) be considered “transformative”, not only with regard to a particular source text but larger societal discourses?

This class offers an introduction to fan studies with a particular focus on “Critical Fandom”, which, for the purposes of this course, is understood to investigate (among other themes):

- Representations of fandom and fans in popular culture (e.g. speaking back against ‘pathologizing’ depictions of ‘hysterical’ and ‘overly invested’ individuals/communities)
- Resistant/oppositional readings (vs. hegemonic readings) of popular media content and the subversive potential of fannish productions (e.g. Genderbending or Racebending fan art/fanfiction)
- Problems/shortcomings within fan spaces and fan studies themselves (e.g. ‘toxic fandom’ or ‘the whiteness of fandom’)
- The field of tension between grassroot self-expression and commercial contexts (e.g. issues of ownership & ‘authenticity’)
- The potential of fan spaces to serve as sites for civic engagement and the promotion of social change (i.e. fan activism)

After this course students will have gained key insights into some of the major theoretical concepts and issues that shape the highly interdisciplinary field of fan studies. Based on influential introductory works in the field (e.g. Booth 2018), this course will enable them to discuss foundational texts on the ‘social, historical, political, commercial, ethical, and creative dimensions of fandom’. Students will be guided towards a critical engagement with aspects of media consumption, production and circulation through various lenses provided by the framework of Critical Theory and the use of fannish productions and practices as a toolkit for their own explorations, negotiations and expressions of meanings related to popular culture.

Assessment and permitted materials

Regular attendance (max. two absences), in-class and preparatory participation (HW/Moodle tasks), group presentation, midterm exam, critical essay & fan production task

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Participation: 20%
Group Presentation: 25%
Midterm Exam: 15%
Critical Essay: 20%
Fan Production Task: 20%

Overall Score of 100%, pass-mark 60%

Scale:
1: 90-100%
2: 89-80%
3: 79-70%
4: 69-60%
5: 59-0%

In order to pass, students need to fulfil each individual requirement and complete tasks on time. The plagiarism detection software Turnitin will be used on most written assignments.

Examination topics

The midterm exam will be based on the course sessions and the required readings.

Reading list

All readings will be made available on Moodle.

Recommendations for those interested to get started (NOTE: not the final list of obligatory course readings!):

• Bennett, Lucy Kathryn, and Paul Booth. Seeing Fans: Representations of Fandom in Media and Popular Culture. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Academic, 2016.
• Booth, Paul. A Companion to Media Fandom and Fan Studies. Newark: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018.
• Click, Melissa A., and Suzanne Scott. The Routledge Companion to Media Fandom. London: Taylor and Francis, 2018.
• Duffett, Mark. Understanding Fandom: An Introduction to the Study of Media Fan Culture. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2013.
• Jenkins, Henry. Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture. Updated 20th anniversary ed. (orig. publ. 1992). New York, NY: Routledge, 2013.
• Pande, Rukmini. Squee from the Margins: Fandom and Race. Iowa City: UIP, 2018.
• Shresthova, Sangita, Gabriel Peters-Lazaro, and Henry Jenkins. Popular Culture and the Civic Imagination: Case Studies of Creative Social Change. New York: New York UP, 2020.

Association in the course directory

Studium: BA 612, BEd 046/407
Code/Modul: BA07.3; BEd 08a.2, BEd 08b.1
Lehrinhalt: 12-4260

Last modified: Mo 26.09.2022 13:49