CMST&MM 722 / Beyoncé Studies: Creativity, Celebrity, and Activism

3 unit(s)

Prerequisite(s): Must be enrolled in graduate plan in Communication & Media Arts or CNMCS.

This course takes up the provocations of Beychella, Lemonade, and other musical, performative, and digital work by Beyoncé. Grounded by the insights of black feminist scholars and critics, we will examine the debates about authenticity and creativity, feminism and antiracism, neoliberalism and liberation, and questions of appropriation, cultural memory, celebrity, and labour raised by this complicated singer, celebrity, performer, auteur, and entrepreneur. While Beyoncé is the touchstone for this course, we will also interrogate the broader historical, social, political economic, and cultural contexts that frame Beyoncé as an exceptional, iconic figure for our contemporary moment.