SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Texas students will soon get a lesson on pop superstar Harry Styles.
Texas State University is slated to offer “Harry Styles and the Cult of Celebrity” in the spring 2023 semester, according to the course professor.
Associate Professor of Digital History Louie Dean Valencia posted about the course news on social media Saturday. It quickly spread among the “Stylers” on Twitter (Stylers is the name for the Harry Styles fandom).
Valencia told KXAN he’s a “huge fan” of Harry and started listening to him during his One Direction days. While studying in Europe this summer, he got to visit Harry’s hometown, his fashion exhibit and even got the chance to see his recent “Love on Tour” — the same tour with five shows coming to Austin’s Moody Center this fall.
“As an historian, I want the class to get to really see how the world has changed in the last 12 years or so, but also how to put that into historical context, through the lens of Harry Styles, and how they can learn from him and his art, activism and philosophy, like any great artist,” said Valencia.
The class will be similar to a history class. Assignments for the class will include studying his music, films and with readings from Murakami, Bethan Roberts, Susan Sontag, Charles Bukowski, Rumi, Alain de Botton, Richard Brautigan and more. Students will also have to create their own podcast.
Valencia said the class proposal was 23-pages long and looked over by a panel of professors before getting approval from the university.
The course is slated for spring 2023. Students can register starting this fall.