Fantasy, Fandom and Fans
Warburton, Jaime
ICSM 11800 - 1
CRN: 21882
ICSM-WHNR: Fantasy Fandom Fans
MWF 11:00 AM - 11:50 AM, W 12:00 PM - 12:50 PM
In this class, we’ll explore and blog the texts that surround us, inspire us, and invite us to imagine our world more fully, such as Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Star Trek; cultural markers that develop around love of sports and music; the cultural hierarchy of fandom based on religion, sports, and sci-fi/fantasy; technological, fiscal, and legal concerns; elements of participatory culture, specifically fan fiction; and the impact of fan-based communities, both online and IRL (in real life). Students will be expected to engage in analysis of such texts in a scholarly fashion led by Henry Jenkins’ definition of the “aca/fan,” a “hybrid creature which is part fan and part academic.” We’ll emphasize written forays into fandom along with writing in response to “original” texts as we explore what drives us to imagine ourselves in universes/lives other than our own, and define the ways fandom binds together disparate parts of our lives. Research projects can also include created fan film/art/writing. This course is available only to those students accepted onto the Honors Program. This course fulfills the ICC ‘Academic Writing’ competency requirement.