Yale University, long hailed as one of the most prestigious educational institutions, is being ridiculed online for its latest attempt at cutting-edge academia.
The Ivy League university recently announced a new course, Beyoncé Makes History: Black Radical Tradition History, Culture, Theory & Politics through Music, Beyoncé, which aims to use her work as a lens to examine Black intellectual thought and activism.
But while the $87,000-a-year luxury institution calls it an academic exploration of the singer’s cultural impact, social media users are having none of it.
From targeted questions such as: ‘How can this course help me in life?’ to ‘For what function is this useful?’ the Internet shows no signs of holding back, and Yale’s latest attempt to break new ground in academia quickly turns into a viral joke.
This spring, Yale students will dive deep into Beyoncé Makes History: Black Radical Tradition History, Culture, Theory & Politics through Music, a course led by African American studies and music professor Daphne Brooks
But while the institution calls it an academic exploration of Beyoncé’s cultural impact, social media users are having none of it.
Social media users have asked pointed, mocking questions following Yale’s announcement of its latest offering
‘Course on Beyoncé? Oh come on, we’re kidding, right?’ one user on ‘X’, formerly Twitter, responded.
“First Taylor Swift at Harvard, now Beyoncé at Yale… Twenty years later they’ll be teaching courses on Donald Trump at universities,” another noted.
Others have questioned the “seriousness” of the latest offering.
‘How much will Beyoncé make from this lesson?’ another added.
Another commented: ‘Hmmmmm. Pass/Fail class probably.”
“This is what counts as higher education in this country. Yale is not a serious university anymore,” said another.
The course, which will start early next semester, will be taught by Daphne Brooks, professor of African American studies and music.
Brooks, who specializes in black cultural studies, says the timing couldn’t have been better to recognize Beyoncé’s unprecedented contributions to American culture.
‘I thought this lesson would be a good one to teach because [Beyoncé] is so ripe for teaching right now,” Brooks explained to the outlet.
‘The number of breakthroughs and innovations she has achieved and the way she has interwoven history and politics: there is simply no one like her.’
Brooks, co-founder of Yale’s Black Sound & the Archive Working Group, has taught similar courses at Princeton, but this is her first to focus exclusively on Beyoncé.
“I hope that no matter what discipline you pursue in the liberal arts at Yale, looking at culture through Beyoncé can invite us to reflect on the extent to which art can articulate the world we live in and nourish our minds and give us the space to imagine better worlds and the ethics of freedom.’
Others have questioned the “seriousness” of the latest offering: “How much will Beyoncé make from this class?” a user commented on X
The course, which will start early next semester, will be taught by Daphne Brooks, professor of African American studies and music. Pictured: Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut
From targeted questions such as ‘How will this course help me in life?’ to ‘For what function is this useful?’ the internet shows no signs of holding back and yale’s latest attempt to become a cutting edge academia quickly turns into a viral joke
The course focuses on Beyoncé’s evolution, starting with her 2013 self-titled album and continuing through her 2024 work, Cowboy Carter.
Brooks argues that given the 2024 election and the changing political landscape, it is critical to recognize Beyoncé’s profound impact on American and global culture over the past two decades.
The course focuses on Beyoncé’s evolution, starting with her 2013 self-titled album and continuing through her 2024 work, Cowboy Carter.
It also examines the complex representation of black women in both media and politics.
Although Beyoncé doesn’t often get involved in politics, her involvement always makes headlines when she does.
She performed at both of Barack Obama’s inaugurations, in 2009 and 2013, and previously performed at her 2016 endorsement of Hillary Clinton.
She recently gave her hit song Freedom to Kamala Harris’ 2024 campaign to use as an anthem.
Beyoncé even officially supported Harris, making a rare appearance at a rally in her hometown of Houston, Texas.
Courses on pop culture legends, such as Yale’s Beyoncé class, often see high enrollment, as evidenced by the more than 300 students enrolled in Harvard’s Taylor Swift course this year
Courses on pop culture legends, such as Yale’s Beyoncé class, often see high enrollment, as evidenced by the more than 300 students enrolled in Harvard’s Taylor Swift course this year.
“Those classes were always oversubscribed,” Brooks told the newspaper Yale Daily News.
“And there was so much energy around the focus on Beyoncé, even though it was a lesson that started in the late 1800s and continues to this day. I always thought that at some point I had to focus on her again and center her work pedagogically.”