Poking around a bit, I found this: http://www.dailycal.org/2015/02/13/students-explore-erotica-fan-fiction-decal-uc-berkeley/

It's pretty clear from that article that the "class" is run by undergrads. It explains a lot. Even if they had to have it approved by someone more scholarly, they probably presented themselves as experts on the community and their methodology wasn't questioned.