Date

12-18-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

In the wake of COVID-19’s devastating effect on education, educators are faced once again with the daunting task of reaching students in the English classroom. Meanwhile, fanfiction and multiliteracies are burgeoning subjects of research. As of January 1st, 2025, over 14 million fanfictions have been published on the website AO3, a well-known fanfiction archive, and educators have begun to design assignments with fanfiction in mind. Likewise, multiliteracies continues to make headway in conversations about pedagogy. Research continues to delve into both as practices, though the creation of practical suggestions for educators grounded in data is still in its infancy. There is still much opportunity for research, especially regarding students’ own perception of fanfiction in pedagogy. The rapid pace of fanfiction and its ensuing volume makes it a unique and difficult subject, but also an opportunity for educators to reach a tricky demographic. How can we use personal interests to encourage apathetic and discouraged writers to pick up their pencils again? Fanfiction and multiliteracies are opportunities for students to realize they are already skilled writers who just need direction. In both, students still exercise important tenets of literacy, but without adhering to the unforgiving formats of traditional writing prompts. This project will collate and synthesize existing literature, artifacts, and student interviews to argue for fanfiction, transformative works, and multiliteracies’ efficacy in bridging between lived writing practice and academic writing, as well as providing some practical suggestions grounded in curriculum standards.

Department

English

Thesis Committee

Dr. Joyce Rain Anderson, Thesis Advisor
Dr. Ann Brunjes, Committee Member
Dr. Wendy Rockne, Committee Member

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