Harry Styles fans rejoice - especially if they are students of Texas State University. Harry Styles has become a pop icon so much that a course is dedicated to him and the "cult of celebrity." It's not so much of a course about him, but a course about celebrities like him and their influence on hard topics as gender and race.
"Harry Styles and the Cult of Celebrity: Identity, the Internet and European Pop Culture" will examine Styles' music and popular European culture in order to "understand the cultural and political development of the modern celebrity as related to questions of gender and sexuality, race, class, nation and globalism, media, fashion, fan culture, and consumerism.
This is according to a flyer shared by instructor Louie Dean Valencia, an associate professor of digital history.
As for the syllabus and what is on the curriculum per se, students get to dissect the artist's solo albums (Harry Styles, Fine Line, and Harry's House) and One Direction work. They will also be analyzing the artist's films, which include Dunkirk, Eternals, and the upcoming "Don't Worry Darling" and "My Policeman."
"I've always wanted to teach a history class that is both fun, but also covers a period that students have lived through and relate to," Valencia shared to NBC New York. "By studying the art, activism, consumerism, and fandom around Harry Styles, I think we'll be able to get to some very relevant contemporary issues. I think it's so important for young people to see what is important to them reflected in their curriculum."
The course will be offered through the Honors College of the university. "Class sizes are limited to 20 students so that we can have in-depth discussions," Valencia explained. I would love to teach it to a larger audience because there is a high demand.
Beginning in the fall, Honors students are eligible for early enrollment. Students without Honors may apply on the Texas State website.
Not for the first time has a pop artist inspired a college course. This year, the Clive Davis Institute at New York University introduced a Taylor Swift class taught by Rolling Stone journalist Brittany Spanos.
The course, which ran from 26 January to 9 March, studied Swift's development as an artist, the legacy of pop and country composers, and the politics of race in modern popular music, among other topics.
Regarding "Harry Styles and the Cult of Celebrity," there is currently no information on whether feather boas will be required course materials.
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