Photo Credit: Beyoncé by Raph PH / CC by 2.0

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 complete discography from her debut album through Cowboy Carter.

Led by acclaimed black studies scholar Daphne Brooks, co-founder of Yale's Black Sound & the Archive Working Group, the course will explore:

• Beyoncé's performance politics and concert films
• Black intellectualism and activism
• Black feminist theory and philosophy
• Performance studies and musicology
• Historical memory and black liberation politics

Brooks emphasizes the course will examine how Beyoncé's innovative album formats have become platforms for mobilizing important cultural themes. This academic recognition comes as Beyoncé reaches 99 Grammy nominations, making her the most nominated artist in history.

Several other prestigious institutions have offered similar courses studying Beyoncé's impact, including:

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

This follows a broader trend of universities offering courses on influential artists, with similar programs dedicated to Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and Lana Del Rey at institutions like Harvard, UC Berkeley, and NYU.

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