Education

Your kid’s new college course: ‘The Sociology of Miley Cyrus’

Chris Bing Contributor
Font Size:

Skidmore College, ranked by CBS News as one of the nation’s most expensive private colleges in the country, is now officially offering a course on Miley Cyrus: “The Sociology of Miley Cyrus: Race, Class, Gender, and Media.”

The 2014 summer course will be taught by assistant visiting professor of Sociology Carolyn Chernoff, Complex reports.

“I am interested in cities, arts, and social change, particularly on the level of social interaction and the production of ‘community,'” Chernoff’s professional bio reads on the school’s website. “I investigate the role of culture in reproducing and transforming social inequality, and research conflict around diversity and difference.”

The course description summarizes a learning experience that “uses Miley Cyrus as a lens through which students can explore themes about race, gender, and identity in the media.”

The class will cover topics such as the rise of the disney princess, gender stratification, the hyper-commodification of childhood, transitioning to adulthood, what happens to Disney stars as they age, and a discussion on bisexuality, queerness, and the female body, according to the course description.

Skidmore is not the only institution of higher learning to use female pop culture figures as topics of study. Rutger’s University also recently received media attention after the school posted class openings for a course called “Politicizing Beyoncé,” a class that identifies and investigates many of the same core themes advertised in Chernoff’s ‘Miley 101’ class.

Follow Chris on Twitter