Kanye West will be the subject of a college course offered at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada this fall.
“Kanye vs. Ye: Genius by Design” will delve into the evolution of the rapper’s genius through the thorough analysis of his “art, design, music, celebrity-life and cultural impacts in the age of information,” according to a screenshot of the course description. Teaching the course will be MC and Professor Yassin “Narcy” Alsalman, who shared his excitement about the opportunity on Instagram.
“I WILL BE TEACHING THE FIRST ALL @kanyewest CLASS ON A UNIVERSITY LEVEL, ALL PRAISES DUE,” wrote Alsalman, who has been teaching at the university since 2013. “Post Pandemic, Inshallah, I want to bring something new and fresh to students. An opportunity to bring more amazing guests to the University and to discuss the world through the lens of one of the most influential artists of our generation.”
According to the professor, his teachings in the class are not “only about West” but will also be “about community, creativity, responsibility, accountability, fame and mental health, dreams and nightmares – and more importantly, self-actualisation.”
As an artist who has earned praise for his musical genius, West has previously been studied by college students in the United States. In 2015, the emcee was named the subject of a poetry course at Georgia State University, per OkayPlayer. Two years later, Washington University professor Dr. Jeffrey McCune taught “Politics of Kanye West: Black Genius and Sonic Aesthetics” — a course that focused on his influence in hip hop. Even the University of Missouri took a stab at a course that taught students about Ye and his “big brother” JAY-Z. Now, Canadian students will have their turn.
“Kanye vs. Ye: Genius by Design” will be open to 200 students. Learn more about the forthcoming course below via Professor Alsalman’s post.