Beyonce in the “Hold Up” video from “Lemonade” (HBO)
Beyoncé’s Lemonade album made such a splash that a Texas college is offering a course based on it.
The English class at the University of Texas at San Antonio will explore the singer’s impact on Black feminism through her April LP.
Helmed by Black professor Kinitra Brooks, she said “Black Women, Beyoncé & Popular Culture” will “examine the sociocultural issues that are most prominent in Black womanhood through Black feminist theory, literature, music and film,” according to the course syllabus.
Brooks told Mic she created this semester’s course after Candice Benbow’s “Lemonade Syllabus” inspired her.
The Rutgers University professor’s project focuses on curating inspirational literature by Black women.
Describing her class, Brooks said the 40 students hail from various backgrounds. Black, Caribbean, white, Hispanic and South Asian men and women compose the group.
She said all have “a hunger and a willingness to learn more” about African-American feminism.
The class meets three times each week and Lemonade‘s tracks separate the course timeline. Songs explored include “Formation,” “Hold Up,” and “Sorry,” according to the class syllabus.
In addition to exploring pieces discussing influences on Beyoncé’s visual album, students are expected to read supplemental literature.
While discussing “Hold Up” for instance, students will read articles about #BlackGirlMagic.
“I have students contacting me and asking me questions about so many things — especially Black feminism and theories of Black womanhood,” Brooks told campus magazine Sombrilla. “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.”
The UTSA class is not the first time a college offered a Black feminism course based on Bey.
In 2014, Atlanta Black Star reported Kevin Allred of Rutgers launched a five-week course on the subject featuring the “Formation” singer and Billie Holiday.
