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NEW College Course on Gaga, Bey, & Nicki Minaj
At The University of Maryland, this fall, students will have the opportunity to take a class on Beyonce, Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga.
Quote:
A small group of students will travel to the edge of glory for more than two hours each week next semester as they delve into the wonders of three influential figures in today's society: Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj.
The Women's Studies department will offer WMST 498C: Advanced Special Topics in Women's Studies: Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Nicki Minaj: Gender and Spectacular Consumption next semester as an elective.
Despite its title, the class will satisfy a diversity credit and offer as much substance as it does appeal by examining pop culture's spectacular consumption — meaning widespread obsession — with the stars' clothes, fashion and performances, according to American studies professor Jeffrey McCune, who created the class.
"On some levels, it's somewhat sexy," McCune said. "But the goal of this course is to look at the repertoire and work of these folks … and figure out how it is that we can have a discussion about these women as spectacular."
The course will also analyze the three stars' tendencies to shatter gender norms and explore uncharted territory as females in music.
"This trio of women seem to be entering into a historic moment where we're seeing much more experimental performances," McCune said. "Much more abstraction, much more play with gender, and we're also seeing some moments where there are clear articulations of a feminist theory within the work."
One example of the course material, McCune said, will involve evaluating Nicki Minaj's use of her male alter-ego, Roman Zolanski, to "critique the kind of hetero-normative, patriarchal culture and its admonishment of young boys who dress differently, who speak differently."
While this is the first university course to prominently feature superstars' names in the title, McCune said using pop culture references in academics is not a new venture.
"The invention of the Internet and the web has created a circulation of these courses and their syllabi in a way that makes them — once again — spectacular, and they've become spectacles," McCune said, adding that the celebrity twist keeps the course content light-hearted. "I think that it's important that education stay both fun, critical and political."
Although many of the past and current courses focusing on pop culture — such as HONR 238D: The Contemporary American Musical Theatre: From Hair to Hairspray — have been restricted to students in the Honors Program, this course's 35 seats are open to all students.
Several students — single ladies and gentlemen — who are considering taking the course, said hearing about it made them so happy they could die.
"I love Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé, so I just thought it was a really cool offering," said junior English major Emma O'Hara, "It's interesting, especially with Lady Gaga, drag and the way she portrays herself. … It helps a lot of people feel comfortable with themselves."
O'Hara added she does not think the class will be all fun and lovegames and expects it to be challenging.
"Because there's a funny title, they'll make sure that it's still a legit class," she said. "It's unique, but you still have to be willing to put in the work."
Other students, such as freshman bioengineering major Rebecca Stevick, were surprised upon hearing about the class, and said they would be willing to routinely marry the night — if their schedules permitted.
"I'm still in shock because it doesn't seem like a typical college course," Stevick said. "If I had the room, I would take it."
Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga did not respond to tweets for comment; Beyoncé has a Twitter account but does not tweet.
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http://www.diamondbackonline.com/new...orld-1.2812533
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