Academic

An academic in fannish terms is a college professor or high-school teacher who teaches classes in science fiction or fantasy and may do research in the field, or a librarian with a special interest in the genre. A few study fandom.

Many academics are fans or pros. Within fandom, the term academic does not, however, refer to members of the sf community who teach in other fields, such as science or engineering.

The ac track is a track of programming at a con that's devoted to the interests of academics.

An academic track often features in the programming at larger cons and some have offered educational credits to participants. The Science Fiction Research Association holds an annual conference as well.

It may include readings of scholarly papers, discussions of how to teach science fiction, panels on the sociology of fandom and sercon talks. Sometimes it offers educational credits.

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Fanspeak

This is a fanspeak page. Please extend it by adding information about when and by whom it was coined, whether it’s still in use, etc.