Yale is mocked for unveiling new Beyoncé ‘cultural impact’ course: ‘How will this help me in life?’

Yale University, long-hailed as one of the most prestigious educational institutions, is facing ridicule online for its latest attempt at …

Yale University, long-hailed as one of the most prestigious educational institutions, is facing ridicule online for its latest attempt at ‘cutting-edge’ academia.

The Ivy League university has recently announced a new course, Beyoncé Makes History: Black Radical Tradition History, Culture, Theory & Politics through Music, Beyoncé, with the aim to use her work as a lens to examine Black intellectual thought and activism.

Yet, while the luxe $87,000-a-year institution calls it an academic exploration of the singer’s cultural impact, social media users are having none of it.

From pointed questions like, ‘How will this course help me in life?’ to ‘Which job is this beneficial for?’ the internet is not holding back and Yale’s latest attempt at pioneering academia is quickly turning 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

Yet, while the institution calls it an academic exploration of the Beyoncé's cultural impact, social media users are having none of it — Yet, while the institution calls it an academic exploration of the Beyoncé’s cultural impact, social media users are having none of it

One user on 'X', formerly Twitter commented 'Hmmmmm. Pass/Fail class probably — One user on ‘X’, formerly Twitter commented ‘Hmmmmm. Pass/Fail class probably

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Another joked: ‘Course on Beyoncé? Oh c’mon we’re joking right?’

‘Course on Beyoncé? Oh c’mon we’re joking right?’ one user on ‘X’, formerly Twitter, commented.

‘First Taylor Swift at Harvard, now Beyoncé at Yale … 20 years later they’ll be teaching courses on Donald Trump in universities,’ another commented.

Others have questioned the ‘seriousness’ of the latest offering.

‘How much is Beyoncé going to make from this class?’ 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,’ another chimed in.

The course, set to roll out at the start of the 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 be better to recognize Beyoncé’s unprecedented contributions to American culture.

‘This class seemed good to teach because [Beyoncé] is just so ripe for teaching at this moment in time,’ Brooks explained to the outlet.

‘The number of breakthroughs and innovations she’s executed and the way she’s interwoven history and politics — there’s just no one like her.’

Brooks, who co-founded Yale’s Black Sound & the Archive Working Group, has taught similar courses at Princeton, but this is her first focused exclusively on Beyoncé.

‘I would hope that no matter what discipline you are pursuing in liberal arts at Yale, by looking at culture through Beyoncé, it can invite us to think about the extent to which art can articulate the world we live in and nourish our spirits 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 is Beyoncé going to make from this class?' a user on X commented — Others have questioned the ‘seriousness’ of the latest offering, ‘How much is Beyoncé going to make from this class?’ a user on X commented

The course, set to roll out at the start of the next semester, will be taught by Daphne Brooks, professor of African American Studies and music. Pictured: Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut

From pointed questions like 'How will this course help me in life?' to 'Which job is this beneficial for?' the internet is not holding back and Yale's latest attempt at cutting-edge academia is quickly turning into a viral joke — From pointed questions like ‘How will this course help me in life?’ to ‘Which job is this beneficial for?’ the internet is not holding back and Yale’s latest attempt at cutting-edge academia is quickly turning into a viral joke

Brooks argues that, given the 2024 election and evolving political landscape, it’s vital 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 explores the complex representation of Black women in both media and politics.

Though Beyoncé doesn’t often wade into 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 during her endorsement for Hillary Clinton in 2016.

She recently gave her hit Freedom to Kamala Harris’s 2024 campaign to use as an anthem.

Beyoncé even officially endorsed Harris, making a rare appearance at a rally in her hometown of Houston, Texas.

Courses on pop culture legends, like Yale’s Beyoncé class, often see high enrollment, as evidenced by the 300-plus students who registered for Harvard’s Taylor Swift course this year.

‘Those classes were always overenrolled,’ Brooks told the Yale Daily News.

‘And there was so much energy around the focus on Beyoncé, even though it was a class that starts in the late 19th century and moves through the present day. I always thought I should come back to focusing on her and centering her work pedagogically at some point.’

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