Beyonce 101: Rutgers Will Offer Class on the Pop Singer
We all know Beyonce can sing, dance, and act, but who knew she was figure of social change?
According to Pop Crush, Rutgers professor and PhD student, Kevin Allred, believes the Grammy winning artist altered the country’s perception on race, sex, and gender. Allred even designed a course called “Politicizing Beyonce” to explore the singer’s social impact.
“This isn’t a course about Beyonce’s political engagement or how many times she performed during President Obama’s inauguration weekend,’ explained Allred in Rutger’s publication, Focus.
So, what will the coursework consist of?
Allred plans to show Beyonce’s music videos, study her lyrics, along with the works of Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, and Sojourner Truth. The students will also dissect Beyonce’s performances, her image, and alter ego, Sasha Fierce.
Despite opposition from other scholars, Allred will continue to teach about the R&B queen.
“It’s important to shift students away from simply being consumers of media toward thinking more critically about what they’re engaging on a regular basis,” he said.
