Ring the alarm! Rutgers University is now offering a different take on women’s studies and political science with a class called “Politicizing Beyoncé.”
“Politicizing Beyoncé” was started by Kevin Allred, a doctoral student and lecturer in Rutgers’ Department of Women’s and Gender Studies. After four semesters of teaching Women’s Studies 101 and using Beyoncé as a topic for discussion, Allred was inspired to turn the diva’s life into her own class — and not necessarily one about ‘politics’ as we commonly think of the word.
“This isn’t a course about Beyoncé’s political engagement or how many times she performed during President Obama’s inauguration weekend,” Allred said to Rutgers Today.
According to the publication, the course’s focus is to use Beyoncé’s life as a channel for discussion of race, gender and sexual politics. Topics include the level of control she has over her own work and image, if Queen Bey’s frequently revealing body is “empowered or stereotypical,” and her one-time alter ego, “Sasha Fierce.”
“She certainly pushes boundaries. While other artists are simply releasing music, she’s creating a grand narrative around her life, her career, and her persona,” Allred said.
It’s no secret that Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z are hardly a neutral Hollywood couple. Just last month, Queen Bey performed a private show for the First Lady’s birthday bash. Last year, the couple received special White House clearance to vacation in Cuba, and the two have been known for their support of President Obama since the beginning .
This isn’t the first time that a class like “Politicizing Beyoncé” has been offered at a university. Georgetown University offers a similar course, for instance: “The Sociology of Hip-Hop: The Theodicy of Jay-Z,” with professor Michael Eric Dyson.
Interesting guy, that Jay-Z. But let’s be real, who run the world? Girls.
(h/t Mediaite)
