USA/ Culture: Yale University to offer new course on Beyoncé’s cultural and political influence
Beyoncé’s profound influence on music and culture is now entering the academic realm at Yale University with a new course set for next year. Titled “Beyoncé Makes History: Black Radical Tradition, Culture, Theory & Politics Through Music,” the one-credit class, led by Yale’s Professor Daphne Brooks, will delve into Beyoncé’s impact from her 2013 self-titled album through her genre-blurring work « Cowboy Carter. »
The course aims to explore how Beyoncé’s music has sparked awareness around social and political ideologies, particularly those rooted in Black radical thought.
Brooks, a professor of African American studies, plans to use Beyoncé’s performances and music as a gateway for students to engage with the works of intellectuals like Frederick Douglass and Toni Morrison, examining how Beyoncé’s themes align—or sometimes contrast—with Black radical intellectual tradition.
While other artists like Bob Dylan and Taylor Swift have inspired college courses, Brooks views Beyoncé as exceptional for her dedication to social consciousness, using her platform to highlight issues like Black Lives Matter and Black feminist perspectives.
Though the course is expected to be popular, it will remain small, and Brooks clarifies that meeting Queen Bey isn’t on the syllabus—although she would love to take students to a concert if possible.
