@bitterandneedy I am somehow still unable to reply to notifications properly even after downloading
@bitterandneedy I am somehow still unable to reply to notifications properly even after downloading xkit, BUT these were all good and useful thoughts! I am going to think out loud at you in response, just to work through my own thoughts. I kinda want to teach 1D over other fandoms because A CLASS SCREENING OF THIS IS US WOULD BE SO FUN and also bcthe course is kinda sorta about how girl readers interact with mainstream culture. I feel like 1D is a great example of girls taking something that was marketed to them in a certain way and just.. making it very queer. and I was thinking that the larrie stuff could actually be a good way for us to have some discussions about the ethics of RPF. one of the things I am interested in (for this course and just in general) is like.. how people make use of fiction in their everyday lives and also how fiction (or elements of fiction - worldbuilding, storytelling, etc.) shapes our lived realities. basically I just want to push back against the idea that fiction and real life are easily separable categories, or that literature’s effects are limited to the moment of reading and don’t extend very far beyond that. I feel like the larries are FASCINATING for my purposes because they are a fairly dark example of how fiction can shape reality - like, how we as humans can become so invested in the fictional stories and worlds we create that we’re willing to do all kinds of unpleasant things in order to maintain those fictions. I like the idea of teaching a fandom unit that focuses on the amazing and transformative things fanfic can do, but also acknowledges that fandom itself is/can be rife with the same kinds of problems that shape mainstream culture (so not just the larries but also fandom’s issues with race and gender). anyway so I wonder if the way to tackle the crazy aspects of this fandom might be to foreground them. and I would make it clear upfront that I am not a larrie and don’t condone their theories/tactics. re: the awkwardness/shame of teaching fandom I FEEL YOU ON THIS and I am excited/nervous to see how it will turn out. I would say that in general I am pretty good at creating a serious-but-also-very-silly classroom dynamic, which lends itself well to talking about potentially embarrassing things in a way that is not too anxiety-inducing. plus it’s all girls + one guy student I’ve taught before, so I have a feeling it’ll be a pretty relaxed environment. -- source link
#syllabus#teaching#theorizing fandom