Yale University is launching a groundbreaking course examining Beyoncé's cultural impact in spring 2025. The course, "Beyoncé Makes History: Back Radical Tradition History, Culture, Theory & Politics Through Music," will analyze her entire discography from her debut album through Cowboy Carter.

Photo Credit: Beyoncé by Raph PH / CC by 2.0

The curriculum, developed by black studies scholar Daphne Brooks, will explore:

• Performance politics and concert films
• Black intellectualism and activism
• Black feminist theory and philosophy
• Musicology and performance studies
• Album format innovation

Brooks, co-founder of Yale's Black Sound & the Archive Working Group, emphasizes examining how historical memory and black liberation politics are reflected in Beyoncé's performance repertoire.

Beyoncé's influence in academia extends beyond Yale, with similar courses offered at:

• Rutgers University
• Cornell University
• University of Illinois at Chicago
• University of Texas at San Antonio
• California Polytechnic State University
• Arizona State University

This academic recognition comes as Beyoncé reaches 99 total Grammy nominations, making her the most-nominated artist in Grammy history. Her latest album, Cowboy Carter, received 11 nominations.

The trend of studying pop culture icons in academia includes courses on Lady Gaga (University of South Carolina), Taylor Swift (Harvard, UC Berkeley, University of Florida), and Lana Del Rey (New York University).

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