Beyoncé Knowles-Carter is set to be featured in a new course focusing on her monumental influence in history at Yale University.

The class, titled “Beyoncé Makes History: Black Radical Tradition, Culture, Theory & Politics Through Music,” will be available at the Ivy League institution next year.

Professor Daphne Brooks from the African American Studies department will lead the course, which aims to explore the significant cultural influence of the pop icon. Students will thoroughly investigate Beyoncé’s career and how she has heightened awareness and involvement in various social and political issues.

The curriculum will draw on Beyoncé’s extensive music library, starting from her self-titled album released in 2013 and including her groundbreaking work “Cowboy Carter.” Brooks intends to use Beyoncé’s songs as a means to help students learn about prominent Black thinkers throughout history, including figures like Toni Morrison and Frederick Douglass.

As many are aware, Beyoncé, who holds the record for the most Grammy wins, has recently set another milestone, being the most nominated artist ever, with a total of 99 nominations after earning 11 new nominations for her eighth album “Cowboy Carter” at the 2025 Grammy Awards. The album, released on March 29, has since achieved historical significance, shattered numerous records, and shone a light on Black country musicians and the roots of the genre.

“[This class] is timely because [Beyoncé] presents an amazing opportunity for teaching right now,” Brooks shared with Yale Daily News. “Her countless breakthroughs and innovations, intertwined with history and politics, as well as her deep engagement with Black cultural life through her performance and voice, truly sets her apart.”

This isn’t the first time that college professors have engaged students with courses centered on Beyoncé. Quite a few have been created over the years.

For instance, Riché Richardson, a professor specializing in African American literature at Cornell University’s Africana Research Center, developed “Beyoncénation” to examine her influence across various areas, including fashion, music, business, social justice, and motherhood.

“Beyoncé has significantly influenced the concept of national femininity,” Richardson remarked to YSL News. “It’s intriguing, particularly because traditionally, Black women have faced hardships that have led to the perception that marriage and education cannot coexist.”

Additionally, Erik Steinskog, an associate professor in musicology at the University of Copenhagen, also created a course focusing on Beyoncé in 2017, which looked at themes of race and gender.

He approached the artist’s music and philosophies from a global perspective.

“I believe that Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade’ is one of the masterpieces of 21st-century music,” he stated. “I aimed to introduce my students to Black feminism, presenting it as a contrast to how feminism is often viewed in Europe.”