Note: Assignments are underspecified here, but will be explained in more detail in class and on Canvas. Details about in-class activities will be provided at the beginning of that class.
Fandom Data (Group) Project
Students will have access to a scrape of meta-data from the fanfiction site Archive of Our Own. Groups will construct research questions that can be answered computationally, quantitatively, and/or qualitatively. Example outputs might be explanations of thematic findings, visualizations of data, or network analyses. Groups will iterate with me on a well-scoped project.
Fandom Survey (Group) Project
Student groups will construct research questions that can be answered with qualitative and/or quantitative survey data. As a class, we will construct a survey that can be deployed on a large scale. Groups will carve off pieces of the survey data to answer specific research questions (again, scoped with help from me). The output will be a written narrative of findings, as well as visualizations where appropriate.
For all group projects, individual students will also write their own reflections on the project, and to reflect on the contributions of group members.
Individual students will each complete an ethnography OR an art/remix project, according to their preferences and skills.
Ethnography
You will choose a specific fandom (e.g., Marvel Comics, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, One Direction, Yuri on Ice) and spend the semester conducting a digital ethnography across multiple platforms, including field notes of interactions and analysis of artifacts such as fanworks. The output will be these notes along with an overarching reflection.
Art/Remix
Drawing from what you learn in class about cultures of fanworks, you will create your own work that adds to this tradition. This might be, for example, a fanvid or remix video, digital art, a programming project, or a data visualization. I will work with you to approve an idea that seems appropriately scoped.
Online Fandom 