Z604/Z672 Comic Books and Their Readers
Digital and Empirical Methods for Studying Readership and Fandom
Spring 2024
12:40 - 15:15 Wednesday, Sycamore Hall (SY) 103
Instructor: Associate Professor John A. Walsh, jawalsh@indiana.edu.
Office Hours: Schedule at https://fantastical.app/jawalsh-r1Wz/office-hours.
Associate Instructor: Alex Wingate, alewinga@iu.edu
Office Hours: Thursdays, 1:30pm-2:45pm, and by appointment (click Zoom link in Alex’s profile)
home | general information | assignments | resources
Week 3: Comics culture, ethnography, authoethnography
Summary
This week we will continue to explore the topics of comic book culture, fans, and readers.
Weekly Learning Objectives
- define fans and list examples of content and culture produced by fans
- explain ways in which fandom emerged as a virtual culture through the use of print media
- discuss the role of conventions and fan publications in the development of fan culture
- summarize the potential conflict between participatory culture and cultural industries.
Before class: Readings, resources, and tasks
- Woo, B., Beaty, B., & Campbell, M. (2020). Theorizing comic cons. Journal of Fandom Studies 8(1), 9-31. https://doi.org/10.1386/jfs_00007_1
- Woo, B. (2021). Asking fans questions: The ethnographic interview. A Fan Studies Primer : Method, Research, Ethics (pp. 97-110). Iowa City: University of Iowa Press.
- Hills, M. (2021). Fan studies’ autoethnography: A Method for Self-Learning and Limit- Testing in Neoliberal Times?. A Fan Studies Primer : Method, Research, Ethics (pp. 144-160). Iowa City: University of Iowa Press.
Recommended but optional reading
In class