Universität Wien

124261 KO Critical Media Analysis (2024W)

Critical Fandom - A Fan Studies Toolkit

6.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle
We 23.10. 12:15-13:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21

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).
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Details

max. 30 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Wednesday 09.10. 12:15 - 13:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Wednesday 16.10. 12:15 - 13:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Wednesday 30.10. 12:15 - 13:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Wednesday 06.11. 12:15 - 13:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Wednesday 13.11. 12:15 - 13:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Wednesday 20.11. 12:15 - 13:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Wednesday 27.11. 12:15 - 13:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Wednesday 04.12. 12:15 - 13:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Wednesday 11.12. 12:15 - 13:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Wednesday 08.01. 12:15 - 13:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Wednesday 15.01. 12:15 - 13:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Wednesday 22.01. 12:15 - 13:45 Helene-Richter-Saal UniCampus Hof 8 3G-EG-21
  • Wednesday 29.01. 12:15 - 13:45 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 (fanart, 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), active in-class and preparatory participation (includes regular HW of shorter written tasks on Moodle such as: reading responses & film responses, glossary entries, research tasks, collaborative problem-solving activities, …), group presentation & fan production task (incl. production log)

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Participation (In-Class & Preparatory): 40%
Group Presentation: 25%
Fan Production Task (incl. Production Log): 35%

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

This is an interactive course with continuous assessment. Students are expected to read all set texts and actively participate in class throughout the semester as well as hand in tasks and assignments on time. There will be no written exam.

Reading list

All readings will be made available on Moodle.
Recommendations for those interested to get started (NOTE: we will look at excerpts/chapters from these works, but this is 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.
Fathallah, Judith. Fanfiction and the Author: How Fanfic Changes Popular Cultural Texts. Amsterdam: Amsterdam UP, 2017.
Jenkins, Henry, Gabriel Peters-Lazaro, and Sangita Shresthova. Popular Culture and the Civic Imagination: Case Studies of Creative Social Change. New York: New York UP, 2020.
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.
Winge, Therèsa M. Costuming Cosplay: Dressing the Imagination. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2019.

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: Tu 01.10.2024 13:46