'Politicizing Beyoncé' class offered at Rutgers University

Doctoral student Kevin Allred has created a curriculum for a Beyoncé-focused class in the Department of Women and Gender studies at Rutgers University, Jezebel recently reported.

Allred talked to Rutgers Today about the spark to begin analyzing Beyoncé's music within the context of gender, race and sexuality. Regarding Beyoncé's B'Day, he said:

"It wasn't as polished as her first and subsequent albums...You can even hear her breathing on the tracks, which is normally edited out. I wondered, 'Why would you record a vocal to stand out in that way?'"

Allred's current dissertation is examining black female singers' voice alterations, such as tone, timbre, and pitch. But this wasn't the only impetus for making "Politicizing Beyoncé."

Early on in life, Allred began studying texts from Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison and Octavia Butler. He believes that for the next generation, "It's important to shift students away from simply being consumers of media toward thinking more critically about what they're engaging on a regular basis."

Preemptively addressing questions that may arise about him starting the course, he continued with:

"Of course, there are people who'll say, 'You're not black. You're not a woman...It's something I'm always questioning and staying aware of so as not to overstep any bounds or make any claims for a group that I don't belong to."

Growing up as a homosexual boy in Utah, Allred was drawn to the scholarly works from black feminists. "I found myself identifying with their writing because racism, sexism, homophobia, and privilege are larger systems under which we all operate."

In the course, students look at Bey's videos, lyrics and "the grand narrative around her life, her career, and her persona," according to Allred. This includes performances under her alterego, Sasha Fierce. The class also listens to singers such as Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Adele, Lady Gaga and the late Amy Winehouse.

Allred owns an independent record label, Gutter Folk Records. He also sings and writes folk music.

Beyoncé recently wrote an essay on gender inequality for The Shriver Report, which the public could read online.

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