Yale's New Course: Beyoncé's Impact on Music and Politics

Next semester, Yale University is offering a course all about Beyoncé. Yes, the famous singer! The class will dive into her music, especially her albums from 2013 to 2023, and explore how she's influenced social and political thinking. Professor Daphne Brooks wants students to understand how Beyoncé's work connects with ideas from famous Black thinkers, like Frederick Douglass and Toni Morrison. She also plans to show videos of Beyoncé's performances.Beyoncé isn't the first musician to get a college course. Many schools have had classes about Bob Dylan and Taylor Swift too. But Professor Brooks thinks Beyoncé is special. She uses her music to talk about important issues like the Black Lives Matter movement and Black feminism. She even invites activists to be part of her projects. Brooks says Beyoncé's work is like a history book, telling stories about race, gender, and the long history of struggles faced by African Americans. Professor Brooks has taught about Black women in music before and knows students love learning about Beyoncé. She expects her new class at Yale to be popular too. But she wants to keep the class size small so everyone can participate. Just a heads up—don't expect to see Beyoncé herself in class!