Killjoy Kurriculum

Syllabus:

Kamp Krystal Killjoy is a podcast pedagogy for teaching feminist values, methods, and praxis. Embracing Sara Ahmed’s figure of the feminist killjoy as a character necessary for feminist transformation and elimination of patriarchy, Kamp Krystal Killjoy is a narrative fiction podcast that reimagines the early backstory of Friday the 13th in ways which open spaces for conversation around feminism and patriarchy. Ahmed (2023) envisions “killing joy as a world-making project” (p. 77; 233). Kamp Krystal Killjoy contributes to this world by creating a universe made up of two “kompanion” podcasts – Konjuring Killjoy and Kamp Krystal Killjoy – and a corresponding “kurriculum” for the teaching, learning, and praxis of killjoy feminism.

The Podcasts:

Konjuring Killjoy – provides an entertaining take on your tradition “lit review” and/or “theory”/background sections of a scholarly article. 8 Episodes that explore theories & themes related to living a feminist life (becoming a killjoy), art activism, camp, horror, monstrosity, and the historical context of the 1980’s.

Kamp Krystal Killjoy – a narrative fiction podcast that takes liberties in re-telling the story of Friday the 13th. While never naming patriarchy, the podcast highlights killjoy truths, maxims, commitments, and equations to help us better see how some stories are told and how some people are made to account for themselves, while others aren’t. It reveals a complicated web of privilege & oppression, suggesting that “sometimes the killer is not an individual, or even a mother and son pair, sometimes it is a system that provides benefit to some, while extinguishing others. It’s not shocking that the system is patriarchy, but that is just one – there is another that is maybe even more sinister and must be defeated first: feminism itself” (2025 “Updated” Kamp Krystal Killjoy Teaser).

Description:

Something evil lurks at Camp Crystal Lake, and it is even worse than you think. What could be scarier than the incomprehensible, gory murders performed by a maniacal mother and son? The backdrop of patriarchy that informed, and redefined, the violence. Reimagining the story of Friday the 13th, Kamp Krystal Killjoy will make you think twice about histories and "truths" you've been told, and the "feminism" you've been sold. It will take more than your average mainstream/(neo)liberal feminism to save the day - this struggle demands killjoy feminism. Are you willing to become inconvenient to the patriarchal system? Are you willing to cause unhappiness and get in the way of feminist happiness? Can you find joy in killing the joy of those holding up oppressive systems? Konjuring Killjoy and Kamp Krystal Killjoy are designed to help you notice injustices that are accepted as “normal,” “par for the course,” and “just the way things are.” This kurriculum has been developed to push you to SNAP – it is a feminist killjoy hope.

Reading Materials:

Living a Feminist Life. Sara Ahmed. (2017)(cited here as LFL)

Feminist Killjoy Handbook. Sara Ahmed. (2023)(cited here as HB)

Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls. Mona Eltahawy. (2019)(cited here as 7Sins)

For Listening:

Kamp Krystal Killjoy, Season 1: Konjuring Killjoy (8 Episodes)

Kamp Krystal Killjoy, Season 2: Kamp Krystal Killjoy (12 Episodes)

*Available HERE, on this site, and through popular podcast platforms such as Audacy, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, & Spotify. Just search “kamp krystal killjoy podcast!)

Assignments:

With each assignment, students will earn “badges” associated with different feminist practices and concepts that are definitional to the feminist killjoy. Each assignment includes three “sections:”

“Book it” – where students show mastery of concepts from course materials (podcast episodes, readings, etc…
“Live it” – where students throw concepts through the lens of their lived experiences
“Make it” – where students produce a “thing” that brings key concepts and lived reality to life in a way they are most comfortable with.

Working through Ahmed’s framework, the following badges offer a “step-by-step” guide for understanding the feminist killjoy, recognizing its presence in your everyday life, and further solidifying your identity as a feminist killjoy yourself.