Info Sessions!

(RPTF 248 aka the Conference Room)

  • Monday 1/19, 10-11 am
  • Wednesday 1/21, 5-6 pm
  • Thursday 1/29 Study Abroad Fair in Union 333
  • Tuesday 1/27, 5-6 via Zoom
  • Thursday 2/5, 12 noon-1 pm

Important Dates!

  • Application Deadline February 14, 2026
  • Deposit Due February 28, 2026
  • Program Fee Due April 29, 2026
  • Program content begins online on May 18, 2026
  • Depart US for Edinburgh on June 2, 2026
  • Program Begins- Arrive in Edinburgh on June 3, 2026
  • Program Ends - Depart London on June 16, 2026
  • Course contintues until June 19, 2026

Fan Tourism is a growing industry and long-standing fan practice. This course will be exploring locations in the UK that have been part of fan pilgrimage since the Victorian era through to the modern day. In addition to experiencing fan pilgrimage and tours we’ll be talking with tour providers about the business and economy of this practice. We’ll be using participant observation, a well-established ethnographic research practice in anthropology that is also utilized in fan studies as established by Henry Jenkins who coined the positionality of the researcher as “aca-fan.” Download the Flyer here! See the proposed syllabus here. 

Program Quick Look

Week 1: Online

  • Topics: Fan Studies Bootcamp
  • Work: Quiz, Discussion Posts & Screenings

Week 2: Online

  • Topics: Ethnography Bootcamp
  • Work: Quiz, Discussion Posts & Proposals

Week 3: Edinburgh, Scotland

  • Fandoms: Harry Potter, Outlander, Monty Python, Frankenstein (del Toro)
  • Activities: HP Edinburgh Tour; Outlander Castle Tour & Gosford House
  • Work: Screenings, Readings & Journals

Week 4: London & Oxford

  • Fandoms: Sherlock, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Discovery of Witches, Golden Compass, Inspector Morse,
  • Activities:  Doctor Who Walking Tour; Who Shop Museum; Sherlock Tour, Pub, & Museum, HP Oxford Tour; LOCO Talk & Scavenger Hunt
  • Work: Screenings, Readings & Journals

Week 5: London & Online

  • Fandoms: Harry Potter, Good Omens, Bridgerton (optional trip to Bath)
  • Activities: Good Omens Walking Tour; WB Studio Tour, Optional Bridgerton's Bath Walking Tour
  • Work: Journals, Organizing Data Workshop, Final Findings Due