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The Field Study Program
While at Comic-Con International, students will study popular culture through the methods of participant ethnography.
We will be examining the intersection of practicing fan culture and the political economy of industrial marketing. Thus, most
of our time in San Diego will be spent participating in the Con, attending programs, observing fan behaviors, examining the
industries' cultural artifacts, and interviewing participants.
Students will complete a set of readings before the Con, and we will meet each day before programming begins for a breakfast
briefing. Your assignments will include daily exercises and a paper to be completed in the week after the Con concludes. You'll
also have the opportunity to address the Con with your preliminary findings while you are in San Diego.
An Academic Experience The Comic Arts Conference is a series of academic programs featured within the larger Con. By special arrangment with the planners, members of our program
will present some of our preliminary results on a Sunday panel before an audience of academics and the public. This is a wonderful
opportunity to participate in a scholarly exercise and to earn an impressive resume item, especially for those students thinking
of going on to graduate study. Past student projects have included the following: - Twitter
as a Means of Direct Dialogue between Creators and Fans
- Aggressive Marketing and its Impact on Consumers at San Diego Comic Con
- “State Your
Name and Your Purpose”: The Talk of Marvel Comics Fans
- Fanbois at Comic-Con: Queer Consumer/Producer Interface and the
Intransitive Writing of Comics
- Hollywood Comes to Comic-Con International: An Examination of Glamour and Glitz
- Video Games: On the
Bottom Looking Up
Preview the Course Syllabus
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Scenes from Comic-Con :
One of the many playful mascots populating the exhibit hall floor, Robot Caveman, stops to make friends with Pam.
Brian takes a turn explaining his project as we present some of the preliminary findings of our studies to the audience
at the Comic Art Conference on our final day in San Diego.
Stephen, Kit, and Melissa pause for a smile before heading
on to the next panel.
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