She’s been topping music charts and award shows, and now Queen Bey is dominating university courses, too!
Rutgers University has recently offered a course on superstar Beyonce, and no, it’s not about learning how to sing like her. Lecturer and doctoral student Kevin Allred is teaching a class called ‘Politicizing Beyonce’ in Rutgers’ Department of Women’s and Gender Studies. In an article featured on Rutgers Today, Kevin mentions his motivation and the course:
“This isn’t a course about Beyoncé’s political engagement or how many times she performed during President Obama’s inauguration weekend,” he says. Rather, the performer’s music and career are used as lenses to explore American race, gender, and sexual politics. Allred pairs Beyoncé’s music videos and lyrics with readings from the Black feminist canon, including the writings of bell hooks, Alice Walker, and even abolitionist Sojourner Truth.
Describing Beyonce as someone who ‘pushes boundaries’ by ‘creating a grand narrative around her life, her career, and her persona,’ Kevin Allred became a follower of Beyonce’s career after her second solo album, B’Day. He’s also a follower of black feminist scholars and authors like Audre Lorde and Octavia Butler, whose writings he identifies with.
Allred’s Politicizing Beyonce course will talk about the singer’s control over her own aesthetic, whether her half-naked body is empowered or stereotypical, and also her alter ego, Sasha Fierce. There will also be discussions about other female vocalists such as Billi Holiday, Nina Simone, Lady Gaga, Adele and Amy Winehouse.
This sounds like an interesting university class that no one would miss! What do you think?
