After the uproar and firestorm surrounding the controversial performance, AU has decided to embrace the raunchy spectacle and use it for academic purposes. Miley Cyrus now has a home in the College of Arts and Sciences, which recently released a statement announcing the addition of a new class inspired by Cyrus’s VMA Performance.
The instructor, Prof. Beauregard, said he is excited to explore all the topics surrounding the performance.
“Well the course itself will not so much be about Cyrus and her performance, but rather the effect of her performance on the fabric of society,” Beauregard said.
Beauregard said he is also extremely interested in analyzing the more technical aspects of the performance including the costumes, staging and the specific dance moves in relation to the lyrics of the song.
The course description includes discussions on race relations, the co-opting of African American culture by the white majority, censorship, human sexuality and feminism. Course texts will include the lyrics to Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” “The Collected Works of Gloria Steinem” and several carefully selected scripts of “Hannah Montana.”
Beauregard has been teaching various courses in CAS for the past five years. The course has already garnered a lot of interest with 37 students already waitlisted. However, it is still unclear what major this course will count toward. At the moment it is an elective, but there is already talk of creating more courses based on Cyrus’s career.
The history department is looking to create a course that would chronicle Cyrus’s life from Hannah Montana until the VMA performance, but no one in the history department could officially confirm this. Until then, twerking enthusiasts are encouraged to contact Beauregard about adding another section.
-American Wonker
