with a record 99 grammy nominations And acclaimed as one of the most influential artists in music history, pop superstar Beyoncé and her broader cultural legacy will be the subject of a new course at Yale University next year.
Entitled “Beyoncé Makes History: Black Radical Tradition, Culture, Theory, and Politics Through Music,” the one-credit class will focus on the period from her 2013 self-titled album through this year’s genre-defying.cowboy carterAnd how the world-renowned singer, songwriter and entrepreneur has created awareness and engagement across social and political ideologies.
Daphne Brooks, professor of African American studies at Yale University, intends to use the artist’s extensive repertoire, including footage of her live performances, for students to learn about black intellectuals from Frederick Douglass to Toni Morrison. As a “portal” for.
“We’re going to take seriously the ways in which the critical work, the intellectual work of some of our greatest thinkers in American culture resonate with Beyoncé’s music and think about the ways in which we can apply her philosophy to her work. and Brooks noted how this has sometimes been contrary to the “black radical intellectual tradition”.
Beyoncé, whose full name is Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, is not the first artist to be the subject of a college-level curriculum.
Over the years there have been courses on singer and songwriter Bob Dylan and many colleges and universities have recently offered classes on singer Taylor Swift and her song and pop culture legacy.
It also includes law professors who hope to engage a new generation of lawyers by using a celebrity like Swift to put complex, real-world concepts into context.
Professors at other colleges and universities have also included Beyoncé in their courses or offered classes on the superstar.
Brooks sees Beyoncé in a category of her own, praising the singer for using her platform to “raise awareness and engagement about grassroots, social, political ideologies and movements” in her music, including the Black Lives Matter movement and Black feminist commentary. Gave credit for.
Brooks asked, “Can you think of any other pop musician who has invited a series of grassroots activists to participate in these longform multimedia album projects given to us since 2013?” He described how Beyoncé has tried to tell a story about “race, gender, and sexuality in the context of more than 400 years of African-American subjugation” through her music.
Brooks said, “He’s a fascinating artist because historical memory, as I often refer to it, and also the impulse to be an archive of that historical memory, it’s throughout his work.” “And you don’t see that with any other artist.”
Brooks had previously taught a well-received class on black women in popular music culture at Princeton University and found that her students were most excited about the portion dedicated to Beyoncé.
She expects her class at Yale to be especially popular, but she’s trying to keep the group size relatively small.
Those who manage to snag a seat next semester should not expect to see Queen Bey in person.
“It’s too bad because if she was on tour, I would definitely try to get a class to see her,” Brooks said.
