Beyoncé has altered America’s views on race, sex and gender? One professor thinks so, and is challenging students to explore her impact through a college course—Politicizing Beyoncé.

Kevin Allred, a professor and doctoral student at Rutgers University, will delve into her capacity to effect social change, by comparing her music against the work of acclaimed authors Bell Hooks, Alice Walker; and even Sojourner Truth.

“This isn’t a course about Beyoncé’s political engagement or how many times she performed during President Obama’s inauguration weekend,” said Allred. “While other artists are simply releasing music, she’s creating a grand narrative around her life, her career, and her persona.”

The professor will use the course to dissect how the Grammy Award winning entertainer has been able to control the public perspective on her image over the years—provocative, empowering, or otherwise.

The class will be apart of the university’s Department of Women’s and Gender Studies program.

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