Rutgers University in New Jersey offering course studying the entertainer Beyoncé

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FILE - This Jan. 26, 2014 file photo shows Beyonce at the 56th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. The Department of Women\'s and Gender Studies at Rutgers University is offering a course called "Politicizing Beyonce." Kevin Allred, a doctoral student who is teaching the class, tells the university\'s online news site that he is using her career as a way to explore American race, gender and sexual politics. The class supplements an analysis of her videos and lyrics with readings from Black feminists. (Photo by Dan Steinberg/Invision/AP, FIle)

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Beyoncé is one of the world’s most scrutinized pop stars, and now that study is moving to academia.

The Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at Rutgers University is offering a course called “Politicizing Beyoncé.”

Kevin Allred, a doctoral student who is teaching the class, tells the university’s online news site that he is using Beyoncé’s career as a way to explore American race, gender and sexual politics.

The class supplements an analysis of Beyoncé’s videos and lyrics with readings from Black feminists. Allred says he’s seeking to help students think more critically about media consumption.

Rutgers also has a class examining the theology of Bruce Springsteen’s lyrics.

Georgetown University has a class called “The Sociology of Hip-Hop: The Urban Theodicy of Jay-Z,” focusing on Beyoncé’s rapper husband.

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