Yale University to offer course on Beyoncé next year

Beyoncé and her cultural legacy will be the focus of a new course at Yale, one of America's top universities, next year.

The class at is centred on the period from her 2013 self-titled album through to this year’s highly acclaimed 'Cowboy Carter', her eighth studio album released earlier this year.

It will explore how the singer has raised awareness of social and political ideologies.

The university’s African American studies professor, Daphne Brooks, also aims to use the course as a way for students to learn about Black intellectuals such as Toni Morrison and Frederick Douglass.

Named by Rolling Stone as the world's greatest living entertainer, Beyoncé has garnered dozens of Grammy nominations over the course of her career.

An entrepreneur as well as performer, she won’t be the first star to feature on a university course.

Bob Dylan has also been studied in classes over the years, and recently several institutions have offered courses on Taylor Swift, her lyrics and cultural impact.