Rutgers University to offer course on Beyonce.

"This isn't a course about Beyoncé's political engagement or how many times she performed during President Obama's inauguration weekend," says class teacher Kevin Allred, according to an interview with the campus newspaper Rutgers Today. He is a PhD student who also lectures for the Department of Women's and Gender Studies at the New Brunswick, New Jersey college. The course will compare and contrast the "Drunk in Love" singer's music videos and lyrics with important works from the Black Feminist movement, including the writings of Alice Walker and the abolitionist Sojourner Truth.

Allred says Beyoncé is a fitting candidate for this kind of course, given her larger-than-life presence in American culture. "She certainly pushes boundaries," he says. "While other artists are simply releasing music, she's creating a grand narrative around her life, her career, and her persona." Within that framework, the course will encourage students to be critical consumers. "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 added.

Stephen Speaks: Is out education system being made a mockery of, or do these classes modeled after TV shows and celebrities have a place in the traditional school systems? Tweet us @TheBLKSocialite and let us know. 

-TheeBlackSocialite
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