Harry’s House? More like Harry’s School. The British superstar will soon join a select few of musicians to have an entire college course dedicated to them.
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Often, parents and adults like to say that today’s youth are too obsessed with following their fave idols, artists, and personalities instead of spending there time on more productive things like studying. They say we are wasting our brains on useless things that won’t help in life. But guess who gets the last laugh now? Because for fans of British superstar Harry Styles, they can soon channel their love for the musician and actor to their studies as there is set to be an entire college course dedicated to him, the first in the world.
HARRY’S COURSE
Announced on July 20, the Texas State University revealed that they will be holding a special course on Harry Styles in 2023. Titled “Harry Styles and the Cult of Celebrity: Identity, the Internet and European Pop Culture,” the course is set to chart Harry’s career, from his One Direction days, solo career, and foray into films, as well as popular European culture 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, and consumerism.” That and more will be taught according to Associate Professor of Digital History Dr. Louie Dean Valencia, who serves as the course’s creator and instructor.
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).
— Louie Dean Valencia (@BurntCitrus) July 16, 2022
This is what tenure looks like. Let’s gooooo! ? pic.twitter.com/1z3vMZoxRV
“I’ve always wanted to teach a history class that is both fun, but also covers a period that students have lived through and relate to,” Valencia told NBC New York in an interview. “By studying the art, activism, consumerism, and fandom around Harry Styles, I think we’ll be able to get to some very relevant contemporary issues. I think it’s so important for young people to see what is important to them reflected in their curriculum.”
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
The course isn’t just meant to learn about all things Harry Styles, but it will also touch upon important societal and cultural issues and movements. As one of the highest profile stars right now, Harry has been part of the zeitgeist for years, especially since his solo career has seen him explore a more fluid side of himself. It will be a class on the modern celebrity in terms of gender and sexuality, race, class, fashion and more. Aside from the usual readings that most college courses have, students will be expected to study Harry’s solo albums, all of the One Direction albums, and watch his films like Dunkirk, which sounds great by the way. And as for their final project, the class will create a podcast series.
What’s interesting about Harry’s Class is that it all came about because the instructor became a fan of Harry. “This class came out of research that I started when locked at home during the summer of 2020 listening to Harry’s music. When I couldn’t travel to do my regular research, I started researching Harry—focusing on his art, the ways masculinity has changed in the last decade, celebrity culture and the internet.”
HOW YOU CAN JOIN
For those interested in taking part in this course, it will be offered through the university’s Honors College. Classes will be taught every Monday and Wednesday at 11 AM and be capped at 20 people to make room for in-depth conversations on Harry Styles and the world of celebrity. But the instructor did say that that he hopes to teach the class to a wider audience. “There is a lot of demand, and I would love to teach it to a broader audience.” Registration begins later this year with an expected start in Spring 2023. Honors students are eligible for early registration, but Non-Honors students can apply via the Texas State website. No word if Harry himself will make an appearance, but Dr. Valencia hopes so, even if it’s via Zoom.
With this upcoming course, Harry Styles join a growing list of superstar musicians who had their own college course after them such as Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and Beyoncé. Speaking of Taylor, the university is also offering a class related to her songwriting in case you also wanted to brush up on your Swiftie Studies. So, the next time someone tries to insult you by saying that your stanning is a waste of time, know that even higher education has room for that. The academe really said, “Stan Harry,” and we love to see it. If you do manage to get a spot for the course, this would be the perfect opportunity to play Music For a Sushi Restaurant when you’re out with your course classmates at well, a sushi restaurant.
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