Theories of Spectatorship, Audience, and Fandom In this course we explore the transcultural dynamics of spectatorship, audience engagement, and fan communities, from Hitchcock to anime, from The Beatles to BLACKPINK, from Star Trek to The Untamed. How do we engage with media texts in local and global contexts? Is our experience of media today radically different from the early years of cinema? What does it mean to be a fan? Have our notions of fandom changed over time? How do race, gender, class, national, and cultural context inform media engagement? We will consider key theoretical approaches and interrogate our own position as spectators, consumers, and fans in  media culture.

Alice in Wonderland Across Media Since Lewis Carroll published Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in 1865, the story has traveled widely, translated into dozens of languages and reimagined across film, television, theatre, illustration, games, and more. From Disney and Tim Burton to anime homage, Alice returns in countless forms. Why does Wonderland keep coming back, and what changes when it moves from page to stage to screen? In this first-year seminar we will trace Alice’s transcultural, transmedia afterlives from the nineteenth century to the present. Through close analysis of key adaptations, we will explore childhood, selfhood, play, transformation, and the politics of fantasy, asking what each version reveals about the moment and medium that produced it.

Theories of Spectatorship, Audience, and Fandom In this course we will explore the dynamics of spectatorship, audience engagement, and fan communities, from Hitchcock to anime, from The Beatles to BLACKPINK, from Star Trek to The Untamed. How do we engage with media texts? Is our experience of media today radically different from the early years of cinema? What does it mean to be a fan? Have our notions of fandom changed over time? How do race, gender, class, and cultural context inform media engagement? We will consider key theoretical approaches and interrogate our own position as spectators, consumers, and fans in media culture.

Aesthetics of the Moving Image How do films convey meaning, generate emotions, and work as an art form? What aspects of film are shared by television and videogames? This course is designed to improve your ability to watch, reflect on, and write about moving images. The course will be grounded in the analysis of cinema (feature films, documentaries, avant-garde, and animation) with special focus on film style and storytelling techniques. Study will extend to new audio-visual media as well, and will be considered from formal, cultural, and theoretical perspectives. Note to students: this course involves substantial streaming of films and television for assigned viewing.

Kpop and Transcultural Fandom Kpop fandom is multilingual and spans cultures and nationalities. Fans gather online and in person all over the world, commenting on live streams, making videos, buying merchandise, voting in competition shows, and participating in online communities. In vastly different contexts, fans find meaning through music, fashion, dance, identification with favorite artists, and parasocial engagement with group members and fellow fans. What draws fans from different contexts to kpop? How can we understand the cultural work of kpop fandom across national and cultural boundaries? If you're a fan yourself, how has kpop fandom informed your sense of self, identity,and community?

Fan Video: Cultures, Theory, Practice In this course we will explore the range of fan video forms, aesthetics, cultures, and histories. Fans re-edit pre-existing media (TV, film, etc.) into new transformative works that can receive millions of views as well as critical acclaim. We will study the visual and rhetorical logics of fan video, the distribution and reception circuits for fan video, and the legal and political questions bound up in fan video practices. We will consider fan video as a critical practice, and we will learn by engaging with scholarship on fan video as well as by making our own fan videos.

Remix Culture & Social Media Authorship In today’s digital culture, remix functions as a core tool of self-authorship and community formation. This course examines the history and current state of digital remix cultures. We consider how remix logics shape authorship in social media spaces including TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter. We explore a range of remix works across media, with a focus on video. Students will produce remix video works as part of this course’s exploration of the logics, aesthetics, and impact of remix culture.

K-pop & Transcultural Fandom K-pop fandom is multilingual and spans cultures and nationalities. Fans gather online and in person all over the world, commenting on live streams, making videos, buying merchandise, voting in competition shows, and participating in online communities. In vastly different contexts, fans find meaning through music, fashion, dance, identification with favorite artists, and parasocial engagement with group members and fellow fans. What draws fans from different contexts to k-pop? How can we understand the cultural work of k-pop fandom across national and cultural boundaries? If you’re a fan yourself, how has k-pop fandom informed your sense of self, identity, and community?

Sherlock Holmes Across Media Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes in 1886. Since then, the consulting detective has continued to solve mysteries in literature, radio, film, television, and digital media. Indeed, Sherlock Holmes inspired what many think of as the earliest media fandom. Why has Sherlock Holmes remained such a fascinating figure for almost a century and a half? How have Holmes and his sidekick Watson (or Sherlock and John) transformed in their different iterations across media, culture, history, and nation? And what does it mean for contemporary television series Elementary and Sherlock to reimagine Sherlock Holmes for the digital age?

Louisa Stein

Reviews and ratings for Louisa Stein at Middlebury College.Louisa Stein teaches Theories of Spectatorship, Wonderland Across Media, Aesthetics of the Moving Image and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Louisa Stein good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

I really enjoyed this course. The class was not too crazy hard, plus the screenings were super fun. In addition to that, the professor Stein was very friendly too. I truly recommend this class if you look for a fun class. 

With Keathley Fall 2025. I share the same experience when it comes to frustration with discussions, as often the professor aims to lead the class to one specific opinion/ conclusion. Amazing taste in movies, all the screenings were extremely enjoyable and pertinent towards the coursework. Super friendly, extremely knowledgeable and approacheable teacher, would take again. 

Christian Keatheley has a subjective view of every film we watched. He then asked the class for opinions and anyone whose opinion did not really align with his, he would classify as not the right answer. Expect to be frustrated during discussions. 