Beyonce Feminism, Rihanna Womanism

The University of Texas at Austin Teaching a Course on "Beyoncé Feminism, Rihanna Womanism"

Whether you are a Beyoncé fan or part of the Rihanna Navy, the course entitled "Beyonce Feminism, Rihanna Womanism" will cause anyone to double take while scrolling through electives during registration. The main goal of this course is for students to gain understanding of the “black feminist” role in pop culture, as well as our everyday lives.

A weakness may be students misinterpretation of the type of academic inquiry or material that will be covered in the course. However, students in this class will learn that there is far more than just catchy lyrics and catch phrases in Beyoncé’s and Rihanna’s music. Students will not merely listen to Beyoncé and Rihanna for entertainment, or link the roles of Beyoncé and Rihanna in pop culture. Instead, students will be studying how lyrics, music videos, and actions of these women express several aspects of black feminism such as violence, economic opportunity, sexuality, standards of beauty and self-expression.

Faith Turner