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FS30310

Academic Year 2024/2025

Beyoncé and Tay: The Intersections of Race, Gender, and Celebrity (FS30310)

Subject:
Film Studies
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
English, Drama & Film
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Professor Jorie Lagerwey
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are contemporary cultural icons. In this module, we examine the popular and critical reception of these superstars, interrogating how that reception reflects and shapes dominant ideas regarding women, Black people, and queer folks. We will put these two very different star texts in conversation with each other in order to think critically about how music and stardom are shaped by discourses of race, gender, power, and celebrity. Beyoncé’s 2015 VMAs performance, in which she was silhouetted in front of giant glowing letters spelling Feminism, is often used as a benchmark for re-emergent feminsms pushing back against postfeminism. Her 2016 visual album Lemonade was hailed as a powerful ode to Black feminism in a moment of hyper-visible anti-Black violence. 2022’s Renaissance pays tribute to Black and queer club music during a cultural moment in which gender and sexual nonconformity were under attack. On the flip side, the production and marketing of Taylor Swift’s albums of “big feelings”, gossip, and personal minutiae lean-in to the girlfriend and memoir culture of 21st century Whiteness, perhaps reaching an apotheosis with the Eras tour.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

Communicate research clearly both in-class and in assignments that may be written, audio, or visual

Think critically about popular culture and express a well-supported opinion about the cultural significance of each performer

Analyze visual and musical texts

Critically evaluate popular criticism (i.e. reviews and thinkpieces)

Understand the relationship between module content and assessment

Indicative Module Content:

Primary sources will include:
Beyoncé: Lemonade, forthcoming country album, Renaissance, Dangerously In Love
Destiny’s Child: Destiny’s Child, Survivor
Films: Homecoming, Renaissance

Taylor: 1984, Taylor Swift, Folklore/Evermore
FIlms: Eras Tour, Miss Americana

Both stars’ instagram pages as indicative of their curated star texts
Various gossip and review sites
Dis/sect Podcast

Secondary sources will include critical texts of celebrity studies, critical race studies, gender studies, popular music studies and cultural studies.

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

80
Autonomous Student Learning

96
Seminar (or Webinar)

24
Total

200

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This is a discussion-based seminar; preparation for each class is essential. Students will listen to music, watch films and music videos, read critical analysis and respond in writing, small and large group discussions.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Student Negotiated or Choice of Assessment: 10% (worksheet based on in-class activity) Week 3: workshop/student-partnered learning outcomes and assessment design. Week 3 Graded No
10
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): 10% Proposal Week 5: Students can work individually or in groups of 2-3 to submit a proposal for the final project building on workshop above. Week 5 Graded No
10
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: 10% Feedback meeting Week 7/8: Students will complete a feedback response worksheet after oral feedback meeting. Week 7 Graded No
10
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): 25% Project Part I Week 11: Students will submit first third of their final project for developmental feedback. Week 11 Graded No
25
 No
Student Negotiated or Choice of Assessment: 45% Week 15: Final projects submitted. Week 15 Graded No
45
 No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Name Role
Assoc Professor Jaime Jones Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
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