Yale University is launching into training with a new course dedicated to the study of the political and cultural impact of Beyoncé. Scheduled to launch during the upcoming spring semester, the course, titled “Beyoncé Makes History: History, Culture, Theory, and Politics of the Black Radical Tradition Through Music,” aims to explore Beyoncé’s influence on black intellectual thought, activism and culture.

As universities increasingly look to pop culture to examine societal themes, Yale joins a growing number of institutions offering courses on the cultural impact of celebrities, like Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga. This course will dive deep into Beyoncé’s mid-career repertoire, starting with her groundbreaking 2013 self-titled album through her latest work, “Cowboy Carter.” Through the lens of these albums, students will study the politics of Beyoncé’s performances, concert films, and the broader societal conversations that her art generates.

The course, led by writer and Black studies scholar Daphne Brooks, will use Beyoncé’s work to introduce students to Black feminist theory, philosophy, anthropology, art history, and musicology. Brooks, co-founder of Yale’s Black Sound & the Archive Working Group, brings significant expertise on the subject, having previously taught “Black Women and Popular Music Culture” at Princeton. She shared via email that developing a comprehensive course focused exclusively on Beyoncé has been a long-standing goal.

This innovative program aims to equip students with a deeper understanding of Beyoncé’s contributions to black culture and the radical tradition, highlighting the singer’s role as an influential figure in today’s cultural and political landscape.