{"id":3691,"date":"2021-06-29T15:37:07","date_gmt":"2021-06-29T20:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/read.streamapse.com\/?p=3691"},"modified":"2026-04-13T16:59:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T21:59:25","slug":"a-global-resource-fueled-by-an-army-of-experts-the-btssyllabus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/streamapse.com\/Magazine\/?p=3691","title":{"rendered":"A Global Resource Fueled By An Army Of Experts – The #BTSSyllabus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Candace Epps-Robertson<\/a>, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

My journey began with a question from my then 13-year-old daughter in November of 2018: \u201cDo you know BTS<\/a>?\u201d<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

But in the months that followed, she guided me through the maze of music, history and fan content surrounding this seven-member supergroup from South Korea who are also known as the Bangtan Boys. I fell down the \u201cBangtan rabbit hole\u201d \u2013 a term for deeply exploring BTS content that often starts from simple curiosity.<\/p>\n

As a scholar of rhetoric and literacy<\/a>, I was in awe of how BTS\u2019s music brought people together<\/a> from across the globe<\/a>. Their fandom, known as ARMY \u2013 an acronym for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth \u2013 is widely known for its enthusiasm. I was inspired to research BTS<\/a> and use BTS in my courses<\/a> on global citizenship and identity.<\/p>\n

I felt that a shared archive of BTS resources might be helpful to students, researchers and anyone interested in learning more about BTS. From this, the #BTSSyllabus<\/a> was formed.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Global pop<\/h2>\n

BTS has blazed a trail with its chart-topping<\/a> and genre-blending<\/a> music combined with philanthropy<\/a>, humanitarian campaigns<\/a> and consistent global messages of care<\/a>, hope<\/a> and inspiration<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The band debuted in June 2013<\/a> after the members were brought together through a combination of talent scouting and auditions. They honed their talents as singers, rappers, writers, producers and dancers. Originally conceived of as a hip-hop idol group<\/a>, their focus has grown to cross and blend genres like pop, R&B, hip-hop and more. There\u2019s debate whether BTS is K-pop<\/a>, pop<\/a> or something else altogether<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Making a syllabus<\/h2>\n

A course syllabus<\/a> can be many things. At its most basic, it documents the contents of a class and maps out learning over the academic term.<\/p>\n

But a syllabus is also a statement about how knowledge will be constructed and shared. For example, an instructor\u2019s reading list might suggest which histories or perspectives will be most prominent. The tone of the syllabus \u2013 formal or casual \u2013 can also demonstrate the relationship an instructor seeks to have with students.<\/p>\n

I introduced the #BTSSyllabus<\/a> at the first BTS Global Interdisciplinary Conference<\/a> at Kingston University London in January 2020. I collaborated with Jin Ha Lee<\/a>, associate professor at University of Washington and fellow BTS fan and researcher, and tweeted a poster<\/a> that described our vision and process.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, a syllabus is authored by a teacher who curates the direction of the course. We knew that ARMY\u2019s knowledge of and experience with BTS was central to the project, and a crowd-sourced syllabus was the best path. So one of our first decisions was to invite the fandom<\/a> to create the syllabus with us.<\/p>\n

ARMY of experts<\/h2>\n

In 2020, Time magazine called the BTS ARMY<\/a> \u201cone of the most active online communities<\/a> in existence.\u201d The BTS YouTube channel<\/a> has 57 million subscribers, and the group\u2019s official Twitter account has nearly 31 million followers.<\/p>\n

This is a fandom that has created a global network of free tutoring services<\/a>, composed a white paper<\/a> on issues related to Korean and Japanese history and raised over US$1 million<\/a> for the Black Lives Matter movement.<\/p>\n

We believed that ARMY has critical expertise and experience that those outside the community lack. Therefore, we wanted their input to drive the project.<\/p>\n

Our process began by circulating calls through Twitter, directed to ARMY, inviting recommendations for any sources they felt would be useful for those writing about, teaching about or researching BTS. This could be content produced by journalists<\/a>, academic researchers<\/a>, fans<\/a> and artists \u2013 really anyone, and in any language.<\/p>\n

Democratizing knowledge<\/h2>\n

The crowd-sourced or hashtag syllabus<\/a> \u2013 which is often circulated through hashtags on social media \u2013 has gained popularity over the past seven years. Notable ones include the Ferguson Syllabus<\/a>, with resources on race and racism, and the Lemonade Syllabus<\/a>, which offers a list of readings as a guide to Beyonce\u2019s 2016 \u201cLemonade\u201d album and Black womanhood more broadly.<\/p>\n

These projects invite public input and participation. Anyone can access them. As sources come from various perspectives beyond academia, these projects democratize the knowledge-making process<\/a> and disrupt conventional \u2013 often white elitist<\/a> \u2013 interpretations of events.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting that BTS has been subject to racist and xenophobic remarks<\/a> that perpetuate anti-Asian stereotypes and attempt to trivialize the band\u2019s impact. Their fandom, largely female, has also been the target of stereotypes<\/a> about teenage \u201cgirls\u2019 hysteria<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a team, Dr. Lee, one of her students and I review the recommendations and categorize the sources into official content, academic research, webinars and classes, and user-generated or fan content. To date, we\u2019ve collected over 200 sources<\/a> representing a wide range of perspectives, from a book<\/a> that uses French philosophers Gilles Deleuze and F\u00e9lix Guattari\u2019s rhizomatic theory<\/a> of nonhierarchal systems to explain the BTS phenomenon to an interactive timeline<\/a> of the group\u2019s achievements. We meet monthly to update the syllabus and announce those updates on our Twitter account<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Complex connections<\/h2>\n

While my journey with BTS began with my daughter, at some point, I recognized that I was having my own experience with the music. I found artists who weren\u2019t afraid to share the messy work of growth and reflection in their music. I experienced it quite personally in BTS\u2019s 2020 single \u201cBlack Swan<\/a>,\u201d which describes<\/a> the fear of losing one\u2019s greatest passion. As a writer, I\u2019ve known that fear my entire career.<\/p>\n