Beyonce-In-The-Classroom :: Rutgers University Offers “Politicizing Beyonce” Course
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Well it looks like both Beyonce and Jay-Z’s talents are being taken (and taught) to and in the classroom. Last year people were skeptical over Michael Dyson‘s 3-credit course at Georgetown University “Sociology of Hip-Hop: Jay-Z,” but Dyson defended his course and received a very positive reaction from the students. And this past week, Kevin Allred, professor and doctoral student at Rutgers University (in New Jersey) is now offering a course on the Queen B entitled, “Politicizing Beyonce.” With the course, he hopes to portray Beyonce as more than just an amazing entertainer, actress or sex symbol. Allred is interested in teaching about her ability to alter social norms. He explains,
“This isn’t a course about Beyonce’s engagement or how many times she performed during President Obama’s inauguration weekend… She clearly pushes boundaries.While other artists are simply releasing music, she’s creating a grand narrative around her life, her career, and her persona.”
The course will illustrate her as a symbolic character with the Black feminism movement in comparison with the likes of legendary and influential women as Sojourner Truth, Bell Hooks, and Alice Walker. And with that said, do you think a course about Beyonce (with the description above) is beneficial for college students?
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