Miley Cyrus to be taught as university subject
New York liberal arts school, Skidmore College, offers its students a twerk-laden sociology syllabus based on the singer
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Miley Cyrus has had a course of study dedicated to her in a new summer course being offered at New York liberal arts school, Skidmore College.
The Sociology of Miley Cyrus: Race, Class, Gender and Media will be taught by assistant visiting professor of Sociology, Carolyn Chernoff, who said she got the idea after teaching a course on youth culture featuring a video of Cyrus’s infamous 2013 VMA twerk incident.
The course syllabus, which was tweeted by an eager student before being removed, outlined how the class will explore Cyrus’s shift from Disney tween to twerking machine.
“We will study core issues of intersectional theory, looking at race, class and gender as well as taking a feminist critique of media, using Miley as a lens through which to explore sociological thinking about identity, entertainment, media and fame,” the course flyer said.
The course covers everything from the rise of the Disney Princess to gender stratification, what happens to Disney stars as they age, bisexuality and the female body.
Sadly, Chernoff confirmed that students will have to learn how to twerk on their own time.
The response from other staff at the $45,724-a-year college has been enthusiastic, said Ms. Chernoff: “Their motto is, ‘creative thoughts matter’ and they understand.”
Professor Chernoff also promised that her Miley course will be very different from similar offerings, like Rutgers University’s 'Politicizing Beyoncé' course.
Cyrus, 21, joins a slew of other household namesto be studied at university.
Lady Gaga famously became the subject of a 2010 University of South Carolina course and Jay-Z’s Sociology of Hip Hop course was one of the most popular modules at Georgetown University in 2011.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments