Final Project PromptCritical Study of K-Pop Fandom
Due Finals Week (Exact date and time TBD)
Overview
During the second half of the quarter, we have focused our attention on cultural themes, social practices, and
political tensions in K-Pop fandom, paying particular attention to the many complex formations of identity that
have emerged in various global contexts. We can see this shift in emphasis not only in the subjects addressed in
our lectures and readings, but in the “human-centered” approach to research reflected in the scholarship we have
read. Fan studies remains a relatively new field of study, but it has established a strong preference for
understanding how people make meaning through their everyday interactions with media texts.
For this project, you will follow along these lines of inquiry and explore one aspect of K-Pop fandom and how it has
been articulated and shaped among a specific demographic of fans. Your exploration should culminate in a short
10-15 minute presentation to be delivered in-person during finals week. You may work alone, as a pair, or a group
of three, and are free to pursue a topic covered in our course materials or an outside topic with the approval of the
instructor. Whatever path you take, your analysis should be research-oriented, focused on a specific issue,
practice, or concept, and aim to understand its human dimensions. While the parameters for what you choose to
analyze remain fairly flexible, your options for how you analyze your topic (i.e., your research method) remain
fairly limited and are outlined in the next section.
You must submit a short written description of your plan for the final project as soon as possible and will be asked
to share your idea with your peers on the last day of class.
Choosing a Research Method
I have provided several options for how you may pursue your analysis, in part, to accommodate for the variety of
circumstances imposed on us by the pandemic. You should choose your method in accordance with your mental
and physical capacities, but also based on the kinds of questions you wish to pursue with this project.
Option 1: Conduct an ethnographic study of how a particular concept, practice, or debate has shaped the
cultural identities of K-Pop fans. For this option, you will need to conduct and record 4-5 substantive
audio interviews (45 minutes – 1 hour each) with a curated group of K-Pop fans. The strength of your
interviews will shape the depth and richness of your analysis and depend largely on the quality of the
questions you ask. This brief overview of how to “ask the right questions” in an ethnographic interview
will help get you started, but it is strongly suggested that you also consult with the instructor about the
list of questions you plan to ask your subjects. Once you have conducted your interviews, you will identify
the overlaps, deviations, and discursive patterns in how your subjects respond to your questions and
synthesize them into a 10-15 minute media-rich presentation. You might find this brief overview of
ethnography as a research method helpful in grounding your study, but remember that we have read a
number of examples of fan ethnographies this quarter that can serve as a model. Your presentation
should engage with at least two scholarly sources, which may be drawn either from the syllabus or your
own research. The instructor will help you find appropriate sources.
Expected Deliverables and Research Requirements for Option 2A:
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4-5 recorded audio interviews (45 mins – 1 hour each) – each recording should be submitted with
paper
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5-6 page Google slideshow.
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At least 2 outside scholarly sources to support your analysis
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Works cited page
Option 2: Conduct an auto-ethnographic study of K-Pop fandom by critically engaging with a K-Pop fan
practice and reflecting on how the practice fosters emotional connection with the artist, broader
community of fans, as well as a sense of cultural identity. You may interact with any practice, but there
should be some sort of tangible object or form of documentation of your practice using an audiovisual
medium (video, audio, images, web design, etc.) that feels most appropriate. You must then present your
reflections and findings, along with the representation of your fan practice, in a 10-15 minute
presentation. Your presentation must engage with at least two scholarly sources, which may be drawn
either from the syllabus or your own research. The instructor will help you find appropriate sources.
Choosing a Topic
In an effort to help shake loose some ideas for you, I have provided a summary of topics covered between Weeks 5
and 10 below. In addition, I have jotted down a handful of important concepts that we did not have an opportunity
to address this quarter. Please note that this list is not exhaustive and that you are welcome to propose a topic not
included here.
Themes/issues:
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cultures of racism and misogyny within fandoms
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toxic fandoms, anti-fandom
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fandom as individual vs. collective identity
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fandom as consumerism vs. cultural resistance
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fandom as gendered pathology
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racialization of fandom as white and male
Practices/objects:
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fan art
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fan chants
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dance covers
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memorabilia collection
Concepts:
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sasaeng (“stalker fans”)
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anti-fan
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intimacies, connectivity
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“fan speak”
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“Twitter Stan”
Themes, practices, concepts not covered in class:
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shipping, fan fiction, and other queer articulations of fandom
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crack videos, remixing, and other vidding practices
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Multi-fandom