In the first weeks of class, I will split you into groups for group-led class conversations (in our zoom sessions) based on your interest in the topics covered in the syllabus. Look over the weekly mix & screening for the various weeks to get a sense of what we’ll be covering each week.
These topics, which correspond with weeks in the syllabus, will include:
- Modes of Seeing (The Queer Gaze & The Resistant Gaze)
- Collective Spectatorship (from The Beatles to BTS)
- Intro to Fandom (Fandom Histories)
- Transcultural Engagement
- IRL Fan Spaces and Fan Communities (Fan Conventions, Online Fan Communities)
- Transformative Creativity: Fan Fiction
- Transformative Creativity: Fan Video
Together, you will coordinate as a group (synchronously or asynchronously, on Teams or however you’d prefer) to discuss the readings (& screenings, if you wish) for your week in advance, and to explore extensions of your topic/other connections you might want to make. You can design these as pure discussion questions or collective activities we can do during our zoom session. Feel free to incorporate breakout rooms in if you’d like. You can use google slides (or another slide tool) to compile questions, example media, etc., (though always be wary of the too!much!text on a powerpoint syndrome). Please include all of your group members’ names on google slides and share them with me on Teams.
Group led discussion should last about a half an hour to forty five minutes, though often it spins into larger class discussions for which I’ll take the lead. I will assign groups to specific weeks early in the semester, taking into account your interests as much as possible.
