Overview
This culminating course integrates theoretical, methodological, historical, and critical approaches in boy-love studies through a substantial independent research or creative project. Students may produce a research thesis, comparative media analysis, digital exhibit, archival study, community-informed project, or critically documented creative work.
The course addresses project design, scholarly synthesis, close and comparative reading, media industries, transnational circulation, fan practices, representation and identity, censorship and regulation, adaptation, translation, platform governance, and the politics of visibility. Students develop a focused research question or creative rationale, establish a transparent method, engage substantial primary and secondary sources, identify limitations, and revise their work through structured supervision and peer review.
Ethical practice is emphasized throughout, including consent, privacy, anonymization, fair representation, copyright, quotation standards, and the avoidance of sensationalism when working with sexual and culturally sensitive materials. Students communicate findings to specialist and general audiences and critically reflect on positionality, responsibility, and the contribution of their completed project.
Learning Outcomes
- Synthesize interdisciplinary scholarship to establish a rigorous conceptual and methodological foundation for an independent capstone project.
- Formulate an original, focused, and supportable research question or creative rationale.
- Evaluate primary and secondary evidence in historical, cultural, industrial, and transnational contexts.
- Apply ethical research practices concerning consent, privacy, anonymization, representation, copyright, quotation, and culturally sensitive materials.
- Construct a transparent account of research design, source selection, analytical procedures, and project limitations.
- Revise scholarly or creative work in response to structured supervision and peer review.
- Defend the project's argument, methods, and contribution in an oral presentation appropriate to an academic audience.
- Communicate project findings clearly to specialist and general audiences through appropriate written, visual, digital, or oral forms.
- Reflect critically on positionality, ethical responsibility, and the relationship between the project and existing scholarship.
Timetable
| Type | Length | Frequency | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seminar | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Workshop | 2 hours | Weekly | First term |
| Tutorial | 1 hour | Fortnightly | All semester |
| Practicum | 1 hour | Weekly | Second term |
Assessment Schedule
| Type | Description | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Research proposal and methodological plan | 10.00% |
| Deliverable | Process portfolio containing milestones, source documentation, and revisions | 20.00% |
| Capstone | Oral defense or public presentation | 15.00% |
| Capstone | Completed independent capstone project | 40.00% |
| Assignment | Reflective essay on contribution, limitations, positionality, and ethics | 15.00% |
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.