| Week 1 1/30/19 |
Fandom as Performative Ritual HW due next week: Read for next week:
|
| Week 2 2/6/19 |
Class Struggle and Stigma in Fandom/ Fandom as Personal Identity
Read for next week: Optional reading:
|
| Week 3 2/13/19 |
Fan Mentality (Where do Fans Come From) Reading for next week:
Optional reading:
|
| Week 4 2/20/19 |
Fangroup Formation and Group Motivations HW for next week:
Optional reading:
|
| Week 5 2/27/19 |
Fangroup Motivations...Part 2 Reading for next week:
Optional
|
| Week 6 3/06/19 |
Commoditized Rebellion HW for next week:
Reading for next week:
|
| Week 7 3/13/19 |
GUEST: Using commercial identity for fun and profit
Reading for next week:
Optional
|
| Week 8 3/27/19 |
Textual Poaching: Fan-fiction, World- Borrowing, and the C Word (Copyright) HW for next week:
Watch for next week: |
| Week 9 4/3/19 |
GUEST: Being a Fan Object Reading for next week:
Optional
|
| Week 10 4/10/19 |
Authenticity Issues in Fandom HW for next week: Prepare Final Topic [Details]
|
| Week 11 4/17/19 |
GUEST(s): Prosumption Listen for next week: Reading for next week:
|
| Week 12 4/24/19 |
When Fandom Goes Wrong |
| Week 13 5/1/19 |
Fandom Singularity and Guest Critique |
| Week 14 5/8/19 |
FINAL Projects |
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Why do we care so much about our pop culture obsessions? Why do Doctor
Who, Anime, and PBR beer inspire such fanatical devotion? Over the
last two decades, the internet has transformed geekiness from an
embarrassing mark of stigma into an important focus for creators,
marketers, everyday nerds, and a million internet celebs. Fandom is
the study of the communities that form around pieces of popular
culture, whether based on a shared love of Star Wars, the New York
Yankees, Harry Potter, or a niche Java library. Good fans are adoring,
evangelical, and useful. Bad fans can be toxic, or even dangerous.
From Pokemon to Air Jordans, this class explores the influences and
motivations that have lead to the current renaissance in fandom. We
chart the evolution of fan culture as a social and economic force,
from early 15th century religious manias to its present rebirth in the
age of digital connectivity. And we discuss issues of tech-assisted
fan creation, management, commercialization and the neurological
implications of lolcats. This is a class for everyone who wants to
inspire millions of fanatical followers to do their bidding... or
simply wonders why they still hum the theme to Super Mario Brothers in
the shower.
BOOKS
These books pretty great, but not required. Many of our readings will refer to them. Consider taking a look.
GRADING
Attendance (including being on time): 35%
Class discussion participation: 35%
Assignments (including final): 30%
STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work as though it were your own. More specifically, plagiarism is to present as your own: A sequence of words quoted without quotation marks from another writer or a paraphrased passage from another writer’s work or facts, ideas or images composed by someone else.
STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLE
The core of the educational experience at the Tisch School of the Arts is the creation of original academic and artistic work by students for the critical review of faculty members. It is therefore of the utmost importance that students at all times provide their instructors with an accurate sense of their current abilities and knowledge in order to receive appropriate constructive criticism and advice. Any attempt to evade that essential, transparent transaction between instructor and student through plagiarism or cheating is educationally self-defeating and a grave violation of Tisch School of the Arts community standards. For all the details on plagiarism, please refer to page 10 of the Tisch School of the Arts, Policies and Procedures Handbook, which can be found online at: http://students.tisch.nyu.edu/page/home.html
STATEMENT ON ACCESSIBILITY
Please feel free to make suggestions to your instructor about ways in which this class could become more accessible to you. Academic accommodations are available for students with documented disabilities. Please contact the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at 212 998-4980 for further information.
STATEMENT ON USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES (*Required*)
Laptops may be used in class for taking notes in lecture. Laptops must be closed during class discussions and student presentations. Phone use in class is strictly prohibited unless directly related to a presentation of your own work or if you are asked to do so as part of the curriculum.