Media Fandom in the Digital Age

Media convergence and the increasing digitization of society have transformed both the production and the reception of contemporary media (e.g., film, television, music, video games). Fans have never been the passive consumers that media producers once regarded them as, but now more than ever, fans are engaging with texts in ways that actively shape the texts themselves, evoking questions of identity, community, and authorship. This course offers an introduction to the study of media fandom. In addition to tracing the history of fan studies, we will analyse different fan cultures (e.g., film, television, sports, comics) and explore several theoretical concepts that are closely tied to the study of fandom (e.g., participatory culture, transmedia storytelling, worldbuilding). Over the course of this seminar, we will also investigate negative forms of fandom (e.g., anti-fandom, toxic fandom) and assess fandom from an intersectional and a transnational perspective. This seminar will enable students to critically assess fan cultures and media reception in an age in which fans have become the driving force behind some of the most successful media franchises in the world (e.g., Star Wars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Wizarding World).