Yale University is set to offer a groundbreaking new course titled Beyoncé Makes History: Black Radical Tradition History, Culture, Theory & Politics Through Music, examining the cultural and political impact of the global pop icon Beyoncé. The course, slated to launch next spring, will allow students to explore Beyoncé’s influence on American music and culture, focusing on her mid-career works and examining the role her art plays in political and social discourse.
The course will trace Beyoncé’s evolution from her 2013 self-titled album Beyoncé, through her critically acclaimed visual albums Lemonade and Renaissance, and up to her latest project, Cowboy Carter. This country album, released earlier this year, received 11 Grammy nominations, making Beyoncé the most Grammy-nominated artist in history with a record-breaking 99 nominations. Despite her Grammy success, the album was notably overlooked by the Country Music Association Awards, igniting a conversation about genre boundaries and racial inclusivity in country music.
According to the course description, Beyoncé Makes History will explore themes of black feminist thought, black radical traditions, and Beyoncé’s artistic exploration of identity and power. Yale’s pop culture-inspired curriculum, developed within the humanities and arts department, will engage students with Beyoncé’s concert performances and films as cultural texts, using them as a framework to examine black intellectual thought and activism. The course aims to offer a critical lens on how the 43-year-old artist has used her platform to address issues such as race, gender, and social justice, positioning her as a central figure in the ongoing dialogue around representation in the entertainment industry.
Daphne Brooks, a distinguished scholar in black studies and co-founder of Yale’s Black Sound & the Archive Working Group, will be teaching the course. Brooks has a long history of studying black music and performance, and her expertise will guide students in understanding Beyoncé’s contributions to the black radical tradition. The curriculum will incorporate black feminist theory, philosophy, anthropology, art history, and musicology to offer a comprehensive analysis of Beyoncé’s artistry. Additionally, it will draw from various academic sources, including works by scholars who have contextualized the singer’s art within larger movements of black intellectualism and cultural resilience.
Yale’s decision to introduce a course centered on a pop icon like Beyoncé reflects a broader trend in academia to include popular culture as a subject of serious study. By analyzing Beyoncé’s music and performances, the course aims to connect students with broader social and historical contexts, illustrating how contemporary artists can serve as agents of change and voices of marginalized communities.
The course is expected to attract a mix of students interested in music, cultural studies, black feminist thought, and political theory. In doing so, it aligns with Yale’s commitment to expanding interdisciplinary studies, fostering a space where music and performance intersect with historical and political analysis. Beyoncé’s artistic trajectory and influence on culture will provide students with a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of art and activism and gain a deeper understanding of black cultural expression and intellectual thought in the 21st century.
Through Beyoncé Makes History, Yale University joins other institutions in acknowledging the educational value of studying popular culture icons who use their platforms to address social issues, making this course both timely and relevant in today’s cultural landscape.
