Summary
Summary of Peizhen Wu's "Teaching trans studies through fan fiction in college English classes"
This excerpt is from “Teaching trans studies through fan fiction in college English classes” by Peizhen Wu. It can be read for free on Transformative Works and Cultures!
Wu argues that trans studies should be taught widely, not just in courses explicitly about gender (like gender studies courses). Fanfiction and fan studies classes, Wu suggests, might be good avenues to explore that kind of teaching.
This article synthesizes the results of Wu’s teaching an undergraduate fan studies course with a three-week unit on gender studies. Students discussed gender fluidity in Loki, fanfiction with trans representation, and Omegaverse. Wu concludes, “Although this is a course about fan fiction instead of trans studies in the social sciences, adding reading materials such as timely news about current trans situations alongside fan fiction and theory-related materials might help students situate themselves better in the discussion of trans topics.”