Learning In/Through Korean Pop Culture Fandom: A Qualitative Case Study of Non-Korean US College Students

Despite active social learning by fans of Korean popular culture (K-pop) through the Internet, current K-pop fandom studies are mainly focused on social media and participatory fan culture rather than studying learning through K-pop. This is a qualitative case study of six non-Korean K-pop fans who are students at a large urban state university in the US Midwest. These students are interested in learning about Korean language and culture outside of school due to their interest in Korean pop culture. The purpose of this study is to understand what and how these interest-driven students learn through Korean popular culture such as Korean pop music, Korean TV series, Korean movies, etc. Additionally, the study explores how various affinity spaces on campus motivate these students’ out-of-school learning and how they developed new friendships and knowledge through interaction and engagement with each other on campus. Data includes 1) online surveys, 2) interviews, 3) observations, and 4) collections of artifacts (social media). The findings show that students are not simply enjoying Korean music and media for pleasure. K-pop drives them to be curious about Korean language, culture, history and society and they intentionally seek out and engage in opportunities to expand their knowledge of Korea, Korean culture, Korean language through transnational media and literacy. Then, later, they bring this out-of-school knowledge to their student organizations and classes, and this continuously encourages them to further expand their knowledge. Through these learning processes, study participants felt a sense of belonging and comfort in these affinity spaces but also faced some conflicts with other fans and non-K-pop fans. However, participants’ identities as K-pop fans became stronger through these conflicts, and they developed a willingness to stand for and represent their favorite artists. Additionally, although there were some conflicts with newer fans, study participants began to accept newer fans’ behavior as a learning curve and felt the responsibility to educate each other. By understanding what these interest-driven students are learning outside of school through transnational media and literacies, educators can support students to expand and connect their knowledge with/in formal schooling.