Bow down, academia — Beyoncé Knowles is now the subject of a course at Rutgers University.
The New Jersey institution is now offering 'Politicizing Beyoncé', a course that uses the pop star's career as a vehicle to "explore American race, gender and sexual politics".
"This isn't a course about Beyoncé's political engagement or how many times she performed during President Obama's inauguration weekend," said lecturer Kevin Allred, as if those things would be significantly more ridiculous than the course he is actually teaching.
Allred, a PhD student who also lectures at the Department of Women's and Gender Studies, said the course will compare and contrast Queen B's music videos and lyrics with works from the Black Feminist movement. "[Beyoncé] certainly pushes boundaries," Allred told Rutgers Today, the campus newspaper. "While other artists are simply releasing music, she's creating a grand narrative around her life, her career, and her persona."
Allred added that the course will tackle sensitive subjects like "the extent of Beyoncé's control over her own aesthetic" and "whether her often half-naked body is empowered or stereotypical".
Empowered, stereotypical, or just plain awesome?After completing the course, true Carter Family completists could then transfer to Georgetown University, which currently offers a course named 'The Sociology Of Hip-Hop: The Theodicy Of Jay-Z'.
(Via Rolling Stone)
