Beyonce is one of the biggest superstars in the world, but is a college course on the “Grown Woman” singer justified? Rutgers University in New Jersey thinks it is.
The course is called Politicizing Beyonce and will be taught by PhD student Kevin Allred. Among the topics the curriculum offer is to "explore American race, gender and sexual politics.”
Allred told Rutgers Today “This isn’t a course about Beyoncé’s political engagement or how many times she performed during President Obama’s inauguration weekend.”
Rather, the course will use her career to study these polarizing topics.
“She certainly pushes boundaries,” he said. “While other artists are simply releasing music, she’s creating a grand narrative around her life, her career, and her persona.”
"It's important to shift students away from simply being consumers of media toward thinking more critically about what they're engaging on a regular basis," he added.
Beyonce, who is a self-described feminist, will be compared to the teachings of the Black Feminist movement. Students will examine the writings of Alice Walker and abolitionist Sojourner Truth.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bey0nce’s husband, Jay Z already has a course based on him. His is offered at Georgetown University.
image: CBS