UTSA offering class based on 'Lemonade'
UTSA students enrolled in a new English course titled "Black Women, Beyoncé & Popular Culture" are delving into a raw, semester-long analysis of the singer's 2016 audiovisual project, "Lemonade," and its relativity to "black feminism."
In her course description, Professor Kinitra Brooks refers to Beyoncé's latest work as a "movement" and "meditation on contemporary black womanhood," which she chose to base her lessons on this fall.
The class meets three times a week and is sectioned into themes based off the album's tracks, kicking off with "Formation" and ending in December with "All Night."
"The purpose of this class is to explore the theoretical, historical, and literary frameworks of black feminism," Brooks explained in the class syllabus.
Though the idea of analyzing one of 2016's most popular releases is interesting many Roadrunners, Brooks warns students via the class syllabus that the curriculum, worth 3 credit hours, will force them to work harder "than ever before," as she will not "sugarcoat" her tone but will provoke thoughts outside of their comfort zones.
Each week, Brooks' students will be assigned theoretical, literature and blog readings correlating to African American studies, according to the syllabus.
"Studying race, gender, class and pop culture theory is incredibly fun...and incredibly hard," Brooks explained in the syllabus. "Do an internal check for your maturity and ability to handle such a self-directed course. There is no shame in deciding you are not ready."
Being a member of the "Beyhive," Beyoncé's fanbase, is not a requirement for the class, but the willingness to have one's beliefs challenged is, Brooks added.
“I have students contacting me and asking me questions about so many things—especially black feminism and theories of black womanhood,” Brooks said on the UTSA website. “The course will be new, fun, and exciting—but I expect my students to come in hungry for knowledge and open to new theories about race and gender in popular culture.”
In her course description, Professor Kinitra Brooks refers to Beyoncé's latest work as a "movement" and "meditation on contemporary black womanhood," which she chose to base her lessons on this fall.
The class meets three times a week and is sectioned into themes based off the album's tracks, kicking off with "Formation" and ending in December with "All Night."
"The purpose of this class is to explore the theoretical, historical, and literary frameworks of black feminism," Brooks explained in the class syllabus.
Though the idea of analyzing one of 2016's most popular releases is interesting many Roadrunners, Brooks warns students via the class syllabus that the curriculum, worth 3 credit hours, will force them to work harder "than ever before," as she will not "sugarcoat" her tone but will provoke thoughts outside of their comfort zones.
Each week, Brooks' students will be assigned theoretical, literature and blog readings correlating to African American studies, according to the syllabus.
"Studying race, gender, class and pop culture theory is incredibly fun...and incredibly hard," Brooks explained in the syllabus. "Do an internal check for your maturity and ability to handle such a self-directed course. There is no shame in deciding you are not ready."
Being a member of the "Beyhive," Beyoncé's fanbase, is not a requirement for the class, but the willingness to have one's beliefs challenged is, Brooks added.
“I have students contacting me and asking me questions about so many things—especially black feminism and theories of black womanhood,” Brooks said on the UTSA website. “The course will be new, fun, and exciting—but I expect my students to come in hungry for knowledge and open to new theories about race and gender in popular culture.”
