Harry's school: Texas State University offering a course on Harry Styles
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Attention, Harry Styles scholars: Texas State University will offer a course on the pop star next spring.
"Harry Styles and the Cult of Celebrity: Identity, the Internet and European Pop Culture" will explore Styles' music and 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," according to a flier shared by instructor Louie Dean Valencia, an associate professor of digital history.
On the curriculum? Styles' solo albums (Harry Styles, Fine Line, and Harry's House) and One Direction work, as well as his films, which include Dunkirk, Eternals, and the upcoming Don't Worry Darling and My Policeman.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images Harry Styles
"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 on Tuesday. "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."
The course will be offered through the university's Honors College. "The classes are capped at 20 so we can have in-depth conversations," Valencia said. "There is a lot of demand, and I would love to teach it to a broader audience."
Registration begins in the fall, with Honors students eligible for early registration. Non-Honors students can apply on the Texas State website.
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).
This is what tenure looks like. Let's gooooo! 😊 pic.twitter.com/1z3vMZoxRV— Louie Dean Valencia (@BurntCitrus) July 16, 2022
This isn't the first time a pop star has inspired a college course. Earlier this year, New York University's Clive Davis Institute launched a Taylor Swift class taught by Rolling Stone journalist Brittany Spanos. The course, which ran Jan. 26-March 9, examined Swift's evolution as an artist, the legacy of pop and country songwriters, the politics of race in contemporary popular music, and more.
As for "Harry Styles and the Cult of Celebrity," there's no word yet on whether feather boas will be included in the course requirements.
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