Beyoncé’s immense cultural influence will be explored in a new course at Yale University next year, according to reports, delving into her significant contributions to music, social, and political discourse.
The new one-credit course, titled “Beyoncé Makes History: Black Radical Tradition, Culture, Theory & Politics Through Music,” will explore the artist’s evolution. The course will delve into how the internationally acclaimed singer, songwriter, and businesswoman has utilised her influential platform to highlight key social and political movements.
The course, led by Professor Daphne Brooks from Yale’s African American Studies department, will explore Beyoncé’s broad musical range, using video recordings of her live performances as a tool to introduce students to the intellectual contributions of Black thinkers, including figures like Frederick Douglass and Toni Morrison.
Professor Brooks plans to draw connections between Beyoncé’s work and the philosophical legacies of prominent Black intellectuals.
She said, “We’re going to be taking seriously the ways in which the critical work, the intellectual work of some of our greatest thinkers in American culture resonates with Beyoncé’s music and thinking about the ways in which we can apply their philosophies to her work.”
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter is not the first artist to inspire a university course. Other musicians, such as Bob Dylan and Taylor Swift, have also been the subjects of academic study. Some law professors have even incorporated Swift’s lyrics into their teachings to help students grasp complex legal concepts.
Other institutions have incorporated Beyoncé’s influence into their curriculum, but Professor Brooks believes the artist stands apart. She commended Beyoncé for using her platform to amplify grassroots social and political movements, particularly those related to the Black Lives Matter movement and feminist activism.
Brooks previously taught a successful course on Black women in popular music at Princeton University, where Beyoncé’s section was particularly well-received. She expects her Yale class to be just as popular but plans to keep the class size small.
Frances Ibiefo
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