Overview
This advanced seminar examines boy-love studies as an interdisciplinary field encompassing queer studies, gender and sexuality studies, cultural studies, literary studies, media and communication, sociology, anthropology, fan studies, and transnational studies. It investigates genre genealogies, publishing and platform economies, fan labor, transformative works, celebrity and star images, localization, translation, censorship, regulation, moral discourse, nationalism, and cultural diplomacy.
The course emphasizes that boy-love is not a uniform global category. Students analyze how local histories, industries, languages, audiences, and systems of power shape cultural production and reception. Topics include race, class, disability, religion, regional identity, masculinity, gender performance, audience ethnography, digital communities, algorithms, activism, counterpublics, and intellectual property.
Students formulate research questions and develop a substantial, feasible, and ethical project using approved textual, visual, archival, qualitative, or digital methods. Coursework addresses consent, privacy, positionality, responsible quotation of user-generated content, community-focused inquiry, comparison of competing scholarly claims, and the professional presentation of original research.
Learning Outcomes
- Synthesize advanced theoretical literature in boy-love studies and related interdisciplinary fields.
- Formulate a focused and feasible research question grounded in relevant scholarship.
- Design an ethically responsible research project using appropriate textual, visual, archival, qualitative, or digital methods.
- Analyze cultural production, circulation, and reception within specific historical, regional, industrial, and social contexts.
- Compare and evaluate competing scholarly claims, methodological assumptions, and evidentiary bases.
- Assess the limitations of selected methods and articulate the researcher’s positionality.
- Apply principles of consent, privacy, responsible quotation, and ethical engagement with online and marginalized communities.
- Present and defend an original scholarly argument in professional academic form.
Timetable
| Type | Length | Frequency | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seminar | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Tutorial | 1 hour | Weekly | All semester |
| Workshop | 2 hours | Fortnightly | All semester |
Assessment Schedule
| Type | Description | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Critical literature review | 20.00% |
| Deliverable | Research design proposal | 20.00% |
| Attendance | Seminar participation and preparatory work | 10.00% |
| Capstone | Research project presentation | 15.00% |
| Capstone | Substantial research project | 35.00% |
Prerequisites
Teaching Staff & Programs
This course is delivered jointly by faculty from the participating programs listed below. In line with the Douchewater Way, the University of Sexology tailors core instruction directly to each cohort's specific discipline — adapting curriculum to program needs rather than forcing students into a one-size-fits-all model. Learn more about our approach at The Douchewater Way.