Fans and Fan Cultures
Media audiences and the subcultures that form around them are the focus of this MIT course, which looks at fans as a distinct social and cultural category. Lessons cover fan clubs, fan fiction, and fan activism, drawing on readings from media studies, sociology, and cultural theory to place these practices in academic context. Assignments include three short papers and in-class presentations, with graduate students completing additional work. Materials available through MIT OpenCourseWare include the syllabus, readings list, and assignment prompts, letting learners work through the same structure used in the on-campus version of the class. The course treats fandom as a serious object of study rather than a niche curiosity, asking what fan communities reveal about media consumption, identity, and collective creativity. No certificate is offered, but all course materials are free to use.