The 007 Saga: James Bond and the Modern Media Franchise

What is a franchise, and what approaches have scholars used to study the franchise as a modern cultural and commercial form? This course explores the phenomenon of the modern media franchise in light of the "007 saga": the stories of James Bond as they have proliferated in various media since the 1950s, including the Ian Fleming novels, television, comics, film, games, and young adult and fan fiction (including slash fiction). The 007 saga presents an opportunity to re-examine available ways of conceiving the franchise, from transmedia storytelling to media mixing, and it emphasizes the importance of scholarly models that can account for a decentralized creative labor. Throughout the history of Bond fiction, authorized and unauthorized writers have generated what now amounts to a threaded storytelling experience with pleasures that overlap with -- but are distinct from -- those of centrally planned media phenomena, like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Note: Admission by waitlist only. Graduate students and advanced undergraduate majors in Film and Media Studies will have priority. Required screenings: Mondays @ 4pm
Course Attributes:

The 007 Saga: James Bond and the Modern Media Franchise

FILM AND MEDIA STUDIES 5507

Section A

Section 01