What We'd Really Like to Learn in These Celebrity College Courses

Universities across the globe have embraced celebrity-themed classes as a way to study academic topics, the latest being a Skidmore College course on Miley Cyrus. The Summer 2014 class will use Miley's career as a way to study race, class, gender, and identity, echoing some of the same themes examined in a Beyoncé course taught at Rutgers University. Just for fun, we're rounding up a range of schools that have offered celebrity-related courses over the years, highlighting what the students learned and what we'd like to add to each syllabus. Source: RCA Records

01
English 2169: Jay Z and Kanye West

English 2169: Jay Z and Kanye West

  • College: University of Missouri
  • What students learn(ed): How Jay Z and Kanye's careers fit into hip-hop and how their music incorporates the American dream.
  • What we'd also like to learn: Everything they talk about during their double dates with Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian.

Source: Def Jam

02
Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame

Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame

  • College: University of South Carolina
  • What students learn(ed): How Lady Gaga's rise to fame fit into our culture on a social and global scale.
  • What we'd also like to learn: If there's anything, anything at all, that she wouldn't wear.

Source: Interscope Records

03
Politicizing Beyoncé

Politicizing Beyoncé

Source: Columbia Records

04
Bruce Springsteen's Theology

Bruce Springsteen's Theology

Source: Columbia Records

05
Michael Jackson: The Business of Music

Michael Jackson: The Business of Music

  • College: Clark Atlanta University
  • What students learn(ed): How Michael Jackson built an empire as the "King of Pop."
  • What we'd also like to learn: Which sorcerer he paid to defy all laws of physics with his dance moves.

Source: Epic Records

06
Sociology of Hip Hop: Jay Z

Sociology of Hip Hop: Jay Z

  • College: Georgetown University
  • What students learn(ed): How Jay Z's body of work deals with race, gender, ethnicity, class, economic equality, and social injustice.
  • What we'd also like to learn: When Jay knew that Bey was the one.

Source: Columbia Records

08
The Music of Radiohead

The Music of Radiohead

  • College: Syracuse University
  • What students learn(ed): How Radiohead fits into music history and which themes can be found in the band's music.
  • What we'd also like to learn: Which "Creep" cover the band likes best.

Source: Parlophone

09
Madonna the Phenomenon

Madonna the Phenomenon

  • College: University of Amsterdam
  • What students learn(ed): How Madonna's media presence grew, plus the impact of her role as a sex symbol.
  • What we'd also like to learn: How to reign as queen for more than 30 years.

Source: Warner Bros. Records

10
American Popular Arts: Elvis as Anthology

American Popular Arts: Elvis as Anthology

  • College: University of Iowa
  • What students learn(ed): How Elvis influenced American culture through his music and movie roles.
  • What we'd also like to learn: How to leave the building and an eternal legacy.

Source: MGM

11
The Sociology of Miley Cyrus: Race, Class, Gender, and Media

The Sociology of Miley Cyrus: Race, Class, Gender, and Media

Source: RCA Records