British artist Harry Styles continues to dominate the world. From new albums and world tour concerts to various acting projects, he has established himself as a pop culture icon with a strong fan base across the world. Now, the “As It Was” singer can add another achievement under his belt — there’s now a college course all about Harry Styles.
An *actual* university course
It’s official, official. I’m teaching the world’s first ever university course on the work of #HarryStyles is happening Spring 2023 at @TXST University (see description).
This is what tenure looks like. Let’s gooooo! 😊 pic.twitter.com/1z3vMZoxRV
— Louie Dean Valencia (@BurntCitrus) July 16, 2022
Last week, digital history associate professor Louie Dean Valencia shared with his Twitter followers that he is officially set to teach an actual university course about the singer-actor.
According to the course flier, its full title is “Harry Styles and the Cult of Celebrity: Identity, the Internet, and European Pop Culture.” The class will be taught in Texas State University’s Honors College during spring term in 2023.
With this course, Harry Styles is now part of the short list of celebrities who have inspired a college course. Most recently, a Taylor Swift course has been offered in New York University. Other celebrities who have also inspired courses are Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Kendrick Lamar.
What is the college class about?
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The course aims “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, internet culture, and consumerism” through a focused study on Harry Styles, his career, and his impact on European pop culture.
A few fans have expressed uneasiness about the contents of the course, worried that it might be a privacy invasion of the singer-actor’s life. However, the professor was quick to reassure fans that the class isn’t about his personal life.
“The idea of the class is that we’re going to learn about the things that [Harry] puts out there, and through that lens learn more about his music, his artistry, and hopefully a little bit about ourselves,” he said in a video.
What will students be doing in the course?
According to Valencia, the class will only be limited to 20 students, and there might even be a lottery if the class is really popular (which it has proven after his announcement has gone viral and his inbox was filled with messages).
The professor added that once the course begins, the class will only focus on the facts, on things that the singer-actor has shared publicly, namely music, films, products and merchandise, interviews, and his musical and literary influences. Students will also be examining the singer’s discography in order, including his solo albums and his work with One Direction.
The final project, it seems, is a podcast episode that would be consolidated into a series that looks into a range of topics on Harry Styles and his career. Valencia also plans to release the podcast online to reach more audiences.
Will there be an online version?
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Not at the moment. But since a lot of people have been asking, Valencia says he will meet with university officials to brainstorm on this. He told NPR that it may take him half a year to set up an online version of the class. “I kind of assumed nobody wanted another online class again. I was like, ‘Oh, plot twist!’”
Fingers crossed for all the Harries in the Philippines!
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