BEYONCÉ, INC.

The Beyoncé, Inc. (@beyonceinc_) class uses the Beyoncé enterprise to explore the theoretical, historical, political, cultural, and economic frameworks of Black feminisms from the Atlantic period through the present. 

Beyoncé’s global, iconic status can’t be understood solely in terms of popular culture. The production, spread, and consumption of Black images—of women, communities, and issues—force historical considerations of politics and the economy (or, more to the point, power and money) within and beyond popular media. Foregrounding the interdisciplinary tools of Africana, gender, and sexuality studies, this course uses the Beyoncé enterprise to interrogate the many ways the cultural, social, economic, and political intersect in U.S. history and our contemporary moment. Within the historical arc of Black women’s history, we’ll explore Beyoncé as subject and agent, as product and producer. We’ll link Black women’s historical and contemporary enterprise and activism, paying close attention to how gender and sexuality do cultural work, how power operates, and who gets “paid.” 

Who should take this course

This is a small seminar course (ten students) open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. It’s designed for students interested in further developing or applying a critical, intersectional lens in their research methods and questions.

As a Writing Skill Tier 2 course, AFRS3300 is a writing-intensive course. You’ll write a 3,000-word research paper (about 10 pages) on a topic of your choice. But this class isn’t just about writing more but also offering opportunities to improve your writing. AFRS3300 includes opportunities to revise written work through a sequence of draft, feedback, rethinking, and rewriting exercises along with some peer evaluation and feedback as well as creative writing and critical thinking exercises. 

The best way to improve one’s writing is by reading. We’ll read and analyze a variety of written and non-textual works (including books, articles, fiction, poetry, images, music, films, social media, economic and legal records, and material culture) about Black women’s history from the 1600s to the present day.