Pop mega-star Beyonce is known for her catchy songs and stunning looks, but now Queen Bey is about to make her mark in academia.
That’s because the “Crazy In Love” singer is getting a course dedicated to her at the University of Victoria.
The music class, simply titled “Beyonce,” will be available to students starting January 2015, and the course’s instructor said it goes beyond just learning about the Houston-born singer’s life.
“It’s not just about watching her videos and listening to her music,” Melissa Avdeeff said. “We can also talk about her as a potentially black feminist woman, or talk about her culturally situating within popular music history, her role in society, or how she influences and reflects our current social makeup.”
Students of the course will learn about the singer’s long career, which kicked off with the girl group Destiny’s Child in the late 90s.
Avdeeff said she wants people to think critically about Beyonce – and the importance of female sexuality in pop music.
“I think it’s quite important because it shows us a reflection of ourselves,” she said. “At that point, we can challenge stereotypes, we can challenge our engagement, become more of an active consumer of media as opposed to a passive one.”
It isn’t the first time a post-secondary school has offered courses based on pop culture. UVic also provides a course on the Beatles, and schools in the U.S. and England have offered classes studying everything from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Seinfeld.
Avdeeff said she would even consider creating a course based on Canadian superstar Justin Bieber.
According to the UVic website, the Beyonce course “will involve a lot of music listening, video watching, and critical thinking.”
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Alex Turner
