Beyoncé’s Influence Becomes Subject of Yale University Course

Students at Yale University are set to dive deep into the world of Beyoncé with a new course titled “Beyonce Makes History: Black Radical Tradition History, Culture, Theory & Politics Through Music.” The class, led by professor Daphne Brooks, will explore the superstar’s artistic work from 2013 to 2024 as a lens to study Black history, intellectual thought, and performance.

In an interview with Yale’s Daily News, Brooks explained why now was the perfect time to launch such a course. “[This class] seemed good to teach because [Beyoncé] is just so ripe for teaching at this moment in time,” Brooks said. “The number of breakthroughs and innovations she’s executed and the way she’s interwoven history and politics and really granular engagements with Black cultural life into her performance aesthetics and her utilization of her voice as a portal to think about history and politics — there’s just no one like her.”

Brooks, who previously taught a course on Beyoncé at Princeton University focusing on her cultural influence, aims to deepen the discussion by connecting Beyoncé’s art to broader themes in Black history and politics.

This new academic focus arrives on the heels of Beyoncé’s eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter, which marked her foray into country music and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with 407,000 album-equivalent units. Cowboy Carter is the second installment in her trilogy, following 2022’s Renaissance.

Beyoncé joins a growing list of musicians who have been featured as the subject of university courses. Previous examples include Kendrick Lamar at Georgia Regents University, as well as classes on JAY-Z, Bruce Springsteen, Drake, The Weeknd, and 2Pac at other institutions.