UC Berkeley’s Course on Frank Ocean Has Been Approved for This Fall
Forget stuffy classes on dead artists, get “Brain Like Berkeley” with this college course.
Frank Ocean’s brilliance has captivated an audience since his first mixtape, nostalgia, ULTRA.
Fans have spent countless hours decoding songs, making memes about flying potatoes, and bonding over their shared frustration on pushed back album release dates.
College roommates, Preya Gill and Deborah Chang’s love for the musician is so strong, that they proposed a student-led course dedicated to his artistry.
Taking to Twitter, Gill announce that UC Berkeley approved the course titled “Brain Like Berkeley,” for the fall.
I proposed a course on Frank Ocean @ UC Berkeley and it got approved! Very stoked to be teaching it in the fall. Come sign up~ @katonya pic.twitter.com/FAuzzbdq0h
— preya (@PreyaaGill) June 15, 2018
My roommate Deborah & I worked so hard to get this class passed!! She doesn’t have a twitter so forgot to tag her, but we are so excited 😫
— preya (@PreyaaGill) June 15, 2018
Named after Ocean’s “Novacane” lyrics, Gill and Chang told Fader their class will reportedly center on the “artistic history, upbringing, background, musical influences, artist identity, and the way he challenges dominant social concepts such as toxic-masculinity and gender politics,” and will be taught by them.
“We want to encourage a deep literary exploration of his artistry both in lyrics and through his visuals and live performances,” the pair said. “We hope to provide a safe environment where students can discuss his poetry and music with sensitivity, creative respect, and open-mindedness.”
Frank Ocean’s mother, Katonya, and brother, Ryan Breaux, also approve of this class, with Ryan tweeting he wants to enroll in it.
Sounds like a plan! @UCBerkeley https://t.co/LLyAnrvLNJ
— katonya breaux (@katonya) June 16, 2018
This just goes to show that if you are passionate enough about something, you can make a career out of it.
Enrollment for the course opens in August on Berkeley’s website.
