Course Description

This course will offer an exploration of fan culture by way of theory and case studies. We'll read key theorists of fan studies to map the history of and new developments in the field of fan studies. We'll look closely at two active fandoms -- the fandom of Harry Potter and the fandom of Hamilton -- and enrolled students will select additional fandoms to study and share with the class as individual or joint final projects. Across the semester, we'll be attending to the power and authority of creator and fan, fan identities (in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, class, age, and nationality), fan activism, and fan creations (such as cos-play, fan art/music, re-storying).

Course Objectives

• To become familiar with the study of fandom and fan cultures, including theories and methods of analysis
• To use relevant cultural and historical information when interpreting literature, theory, and other cultural texts
• To participate in lively, informed, and respectful discussions about our reading and viewing
• To develop and apply critical skills for reading, thinking, and writing about several genres
  – what a literary, theoretical, or cultural text conveys (its themes, its view of the world)
  – how a literary, theoretical, or cultural text conveys that knowledge (its aesthetic form, its selection/omission of detail)
• To contribute to current conversations about fandom and fan studies

Course Modality: We will meet in person for most class sessions, pending the need to go online for COVID or weather. On selected weeks (noted below on the schedule of classes with [A]), we will meet for a portion of our scheduled time, and you will complete an asynchronous activity (shared on Wednesday, due by 11:59pm on Friday) which will represent the balance of your weekly time in class.

Readings and Class Participation: Given the course objectives stated above, this class will foreground discussion. Class participation is therefore expected and will count for 20% of your final grade. This portion of your grade includes your contributions to our discussions in class (in large and small groups) and to our discussions on the online message board (further information below). Your goal is to be an active presence in the class: you should complete the reading and viewing assigned for each class session, think carefully about it, and be ready to share your ideas -- in class and online, synchronously and asynchronously.

Attendance: The University requires that students attend all classes in which they are enrolled, and so your attendance is required. Further, your attendance is important to the success of our discussions. However, I recognize that the unexpected will happen, especially during the ongoing pandemic. If you miss more than one weekly class session, please contact me, so we can discuss your progress and identify the best path forward.

Class Discussion Questions: As part of the class participation grade, students will sign up to initiate discussion for one of our class sessions. Questions for class discussion (4-5 in number) should highlight issues or themes or queries you think we should address in our class discussion of the material assigned for that day. After drafting the questions, students leading discussion should email me their questions by 6 p.m. the night before; I will confirm receipt and offer any suggestions for the order or focus of the questions.

Online Message Board: As part of your class participation and to practice informal analytical writing, each week, each student is required to post at least one paragraph-length comment (200-300 words) about the materials we’re reading and discussing in class. These posts are intended to help you do the following:

• Prepare for or develop topics and ideas discussed in class
• Prepare to engage in the public humanities by communicating your ideas and responding to those of your peers in a non-scholarly format

I will read these discussions and assess a grade (at the end of the semester) based on the thoughtfulness of your comments, their ability to foster discussion among your classmates, their responsiveness to our readings, and their ability to "translate" scholarly discussions for a general audience. I'll provide weekly question prompts as I follow these conversations, and I may also participate, but I see the online discussion primarily as a way for you to raise issues we haven't addressed -- or addressed fully or to your satisfaction -- during our regular class meetings. The work contributed to the message board can become source material for more formal writing assignments.

The weekly message board will run from Saturday to Friday, to encourage you to post right after as well as before our weekly class discussions, but I encourage you to contribute your ideas throughout the week and to check the board for others' postings. Postings will count for half (10%) of your class participation grade (20%). If you would like to know your message board grade to date at any point in the semester, please ask. I will offer models of successful comments early in the semester.

Paper, Final Project, and Response Papers: During the semester, you will be doing different kinds of critical writing: not only informal postings to the message board, but also more formal work. All students will write one shorter paper (4 pages in length) and complete a final project (6-7 pages in length); graduate students will also write an abstract of that final project and an essay review of four recent articles about a selected area of fan studies.  You will have a choice of two topics for the shorter paper, and you will select a fandom of your choice for the final project.

You will also write three response papers (2 pp in length) in response to our readings. Response papers are designed to ready you for class discussion and to explore ideas you could develop further in a longer paper. They are due the day indicated on the syllabus. In your response paper, you should not repeat previous class discussions or provide just a summary of the reading. Instead, your response should begin to analyze the primary and secondary reading assigned for that class session, selecting an issue or theme or question you feel to be significant. I recommend that you select a word, phrase, or short quotation from the reading to initiate your response.

 

These formal writing assignments should follow the general rules of composition and be typed with standard double-spacing, 1-inch margins, and either 11- or 12-point typeface. Title pages and cover sheets are unnecessary. Pages should be numbered, stapled together, and spell-checked. Papers are due by the date and time on the syllabus. (Note: The University’s Honor Code obliges you to cite the source of any idea that is not your own. Otherwise, you have plagiarized. If you do plagiarize, you will fail this course.

 

Multi-Media Fandom Project: You will choose one of four possible multi-media projects to complete during the semester. Your multi-media project can be submitted on any class day but must be turned in no later than Tuesday April 26. Each project should demonstrate insight and understanding of the text with which it connects, should be thoughtfully constructed, and should be presented professionally with attention to detail.  Refer to the grading rubrics (posted in Canvas as of January 25) for detailed grading criteria. The assignment will be distributed the second week of class, but here are brief descriptions:

• Option 1: Create a soundtrack to represent a fandom that matters to you.  It must have 5-6 tracks and be accompanied by a written explanation (2 pages in length) of how each selected song relates to the fandom.
• Option 2: Create a collage of pictures and words (cut from magazines or assembled as digital images) that connects to a fandom that matters to you. Include a written explanation (2 pages in length) explaining why you chose those particular images for that text and why you arranged them as you did, given your selected fandom.
• Option 3: Select a fan-created object connected to a fandom that matters to you. Capture this object in digital form and provide details about where to locate it or about its origin/provenance. Then, provide a close-reading (2 pages in length), interpreting this fan creation. How does it speak to the fans of its fandom? How does the creator view the fandom? How do you know? What does it tell us about the fandom and/or the object of fan attention?.
• Option 4:  Locate a representation of fan culture in U.S. popular culture of the past three years (2019-2022): a reference or allusion, a moment in which people invoke or depict fans or fan culture. Capture this reference in digital form and provide details about where to locate it. Then, provide a close-reading (2 pages in length) interpreting this cultural instance. For what purpose does it invoke fans and fandom? How does the creator view fans and fan culture? How do you know? What does it tell us about the cultural significance of fans and fan culture within contemporary U.S. culture.

 

Online and video resources: Along with some required viewing (see the film listed under "Required Texts") and required online reading, I will refer you to resources available online or on video to complement our readings and discussions. Links within the online "Schedule of Classes" will take you to related online resources, and a "Web Resources" link from our course homepage will take you to a page of links devoted to our selected authors, their work, and the city of London. I will add and update these resources as the semester progresses; if you locate a site or page which you find valuable, please let me know, and I'll consider adding it to the existing links.

 

Email: I highly recommend email as a way of touching base with me about your work for the class -- a kind of virtual office hours. You can send me queries about reading or writing assignments, your thesis statement for an essay, or anything else that could be handled with a quick exchange of messages. I check my email throughout the day, but please remember that I am not perpetually online.

Conferences: I want you to succeed in this course, and I am happy to meet with you about your work and your progress. I encourage you to see me before exams or papers are due, or if you have questions about material we discuss in class. Please feel free to set up an appointment during office hours (M, W 9:00-10:00 a.m.), or contact me by phone or email to arrange a more convenient time to meet.

Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities who need classroom accommodations, access to technology, or information about emergency building/campus evacuation processes should contact the Student Access Center and/or their instructor.  Services are available to students with a wide range of disabilities including, but not limited to, physical disabilities, medical conditions, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, depression, and anxiety. If you are a student enrolled in campus/online courses through the Manhattan or Olathe campuses, contact the Student Access Center at accesscenter@k-state.edu, 785-532-6441; for K-State Polytechnic campus, contact Academic and Student Services at polytechnicadvising@ksu.edu or call 785-826-2974. 

Academic Honesty: Kansas State University has an Honor System based on personal integrity, which is presumed to be sufficient assurance that, in academic matters, one’s work is performed honestly and without unauthorized assistance. Undergraduate and graduate students, by registration, acknowledge the jurisdiction of the Honor System. The policies and procedures of the Honor System apply to all full and part-time students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate courses on-campus, off-campus, and via distance learning. The honor system website can be reached <http://www.k-state.edu/honor/>. A component vital to the Honor System is the inclusion of the Honor Pledge which applies to all assignments, examinations, or other course work undertaken by students. The Honor Pledge is implied, whether or not it is stated: "On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work." If you have any questions about your work in relation to the Honor System, please ask.

Expectations for Student Conduct: All student activities in the University, including this course, are governed by the Student Judicial Conduct Code as outlined in the Student Governing Association By Laws, Article VI, Section 3, number 2. Students who engage in behavior that disrupts the learning environment may be asked to leave the class.

Statement on Mutual Respect and Inclusion in K-State Teaching and Learning Spaces: At K-State, faculty and staff are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and supportive learning environment for students from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. K-State courses, labs, and other virtual and physical learning spaces promote equitable opportunity to learn, participate, contribute, and succeed, regardless of age, race, color, ethnicity, nationality, genetic information, ancestry, disability, socioeconomic status, military or veteran status, immigration status, Indigenous identity, gender identity, gender expression, sexuality, religion, culture, as well as other social identities.

Faculty and staff are committed to promoting equity and believe the success of an inclusive learning environment relies on the participation, support, and understanding of all students. Students are encouraged to share their views and lived experiences as they relate to the course or their course experience, while recognizing they are doing so in a learning environment in which all are expected to engage with respect to honor the rights, safety, and dignity of others in keeping with the K-State Principles of Community https://www.k-state.edu/about/values/community/.

If you feel uncomfortable because of comments or behavior encountered in this class, you may bring it to the attention of your instructor, advisors, and/or mentors. If you have questions about how to proceed with a confidential process to resolve concerns, please contact the Student Ombudsperson Office. Violations of the student code of conduct can be reported here https://www.k-state.edu/sga/judicial/student-code-of-conduct.html. If you experience bias or discrimination, it can be reported here https://www.k-state.edu/report/discrimination/

Conceal Carry Statement: In this class, students will be asked on a regular basis to participate in activities (i.e., engaging in group work) that may require students to either be separated from their bags or be prepared to keep their bags with them at all times during such activities. Students are encouraged to take the online weapons policy education module <http://www.k-state.edu/police/weapons/index.html> to ensure they understand the requirements related to concealed carry.

Wearing of Face Coverings: To protect the health and safety of the K-State community, students, faculty, staff and visitors must wear face coverings over their mouths and noses while on K-State campuses in all hallways, public spaces, classrooms and other common areas of campus buildings, and when in offices or other work spaces or outdoor settings when 6-feet social distancing cannot be maintained. In addition, all students, faculty, and staff are required to take the COVID-19 and Face Mask Safety training. For more information, visit <https://www.k-state.edu/provost/resources/teaching/course.html>.

Statement of Copyright: Copyright 2022 as to this syllabus and all course materials and lectures. During this course students are prohibited from selling notes to or being paid for taking notes by any person or commercial firm without the express written permission of the professor teaching this course. In addition, students in this class are not authorized to provide class notes or other class-related materials to any other person or entity, other than sharing them directly with another student taking the class for purposes of studying, without prior written permission from the professor teaching this course.

 

Grading:

Undergraduate Students: The short paper and final project will count for 40% of your final grade (15% and 25% respectively); the response papers will count for 15% of your final grade; and the multi-media fandom project will count for 10% of your final grade.  Class participation (20%) and a final reflection (15%) complete the requirements.

Graduate Students: The short paper will count for 10%, the essay review will count for 10%, and the final project for 20% of your final grade, with its abstract counting for 5%.  The response papers will count for 15% of your final grade, and the multi-media fandom project will count for 10% of your final grade.  Class participation (20%) and a final reflection (10%) complete the requirements.