Beyonce 'Drunk In Love' Grammy Performance Gets Singer a Rutgers University Course? [VIDEO]
Beyonce might be catching lots of heat for her sultry Grammy award performance, but Rutgers University thinks she's worthy of getting her own course, according to a recent article in Rutgers Today.
The class is titled Politicizing Beyonce. It's slated to discuss her career as well as issues such as race, gender and sexual equality that is vital to current America.
PhD student Kevin Allred will be teaching the class and set the record straight on what it will contain.
"This isn't a course about Beyonce's political engagement or how many times she performed during President Obama's inauguration weekend," he told Rutgers Today.
Allred said he developed the class after teaching four semesters of Women's Studies 101 at the school, where Beyonce was a consistent topic. Allred said the focus will be for students to discuss whether Beyonce's image is seen as empowering for women or just another stereotype. He is expected to compare Beyonce's music videos to the likes of Alice Walker and civil rights great Sojourner Truth.
"She certainly pushes boundaries. While others artists are simply releasing music, she's creating a grand narrative around her life, her career, and her persona," he said.
For anyone who plans to critique his choice to teach a class about Beyonce, Allred reassures that he will do all he can to stay "respectful."
"Of course, there are people who'll say, 'You're not black. You're not a woman. It's something I'm always questioning and staying aware of so as not to overstep any bounds or make any claims for a group that I don't belong to. It's a fine line..." he added