British singer-songwriter Harry Styles has really proven that he is an icon. From his music, fashion, and him advocating for a variety of causes, he truly has an impact on his fans all over the world. Now, fans can take a deep dive into his works and his impact on pop culture because a university in Texas will be offering a course dedicated to him.
On July 16, Louie Dean Valencia, an associate professor of digital history at Texas State University, announced in a tweet that he will be teaching a course about the British pop star.
“It’s official, it’s official. I’m teaching the world’s first ever university course on the work of Harry Styles,” Valencia tweeted.
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
The full title of the course will be “Harry Styles and the Cult of Celebrity: Identity, the Internet, and European Pop Culture.” This will be taught in 2023, during the spring term at Texas State University within the school’s Honors College. The course will also be open to non-honor students.
This course will be focused on the former One Direction star and 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, internet culture, and consumerism.”
After Valencia’s announcement on Twitter, some fans have been worried that the course might invade Harry’s privacy. The professor quickly responded in a TikTok video and reassured fans that the class “isn’t about his personal life.”
“The idea of the class is that we’re going to learn about the things that [Harry] puts out there, and through that lens learn more about his music, his artistry, and hopefully a little bit about ourselves,” he said.
After completing the term, students who will finish the course are expected to be credited for qualifications in programs such as history, international studies, popular culture studies, diversity studies, and women and gender studies.
The “Watermelon Sugar” hitmaker is a recent addition to the list of celebrities who has a dedicated university course. Last February, New York University announced that they will have a class on Taylor Swift’s impact on the music industry. Other artists who have courses dedicated to studying their music include Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, and Miley Cyrus.
In 2010, Styles auditioned as a solo contestant on the British singing competition The X Factor, though he only made it as far as bootcamp. On the same show, he met four other fellow contestants — Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, and Zayne Malik — with whom he would eventually form the band One Direction. The five quickly rose to fame as a band, but they went on an indefinite hiatus in 2016. In 2017, Styles decided to explore a solo career. Last May, he released his third album entitled, “Harry’s House” and his lead single, “As It Was” became number one on major top charts.
Aside from music, Styles is also building his acting portfolio. He starred in the 2017 thriller film, Dunkirk, where he played the role of a soldier named Alex. This year, he will star alongside Florence Pugh in the psychological thriller film Don’t Worry Darling and alongside Emma Corrin in My Policeman.
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