Miley Cyrus Makes Her Way into a Sociology Course

Miley Cyrus is known more for her raunchy stage antics than her crooning talents. The once-adorable Disney

star has grown up into a controversial pop star who is often in the news for all the wrong reasons—from

spitting on her fans to making provocative gestures onstage. In fact, so bizarre has been her transformation that

Skidmore College has been encouraged to offer a whole new Sociology course on Miley Cyrus.

Miley Cyrus Twerks Her Way into a Sociology Course

Skidmore College, a private liberal arts college in New York, will offer a summer course to study the rise of

Miley Cyrus, titled “The Sociology of Miley Cyrus: Race, Class, Gender and Media.” The course will examine

how women’s bodies are perceived by society and as a result, influence how they are represented in mainstream

media. The course will look at the evolution of this Disney star over the years and how she has tried on,

discarded, broken down, and remolded her on- and offstage personas constantly.

The Wrecking Ball star has grown up under intense media glare from her Hannah Montana days. The media and

the public have kept up a relentless vigil on her music, moves, and body highlights. The sociology course will

also look into how pop culture and mass media influence people to build their intersectional identities.

The Vast Expanse of the Sociology Course

The course on Miley Cyrus to be taught at the Skidmore College will concentrate not only on Miley Cyrus but

will also examine how Disney stars in general transition into adulthood. So the course will also focus on Britney

Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, and other Disney stars and how the hyper-commoditization of

childhood influences the mindsets of these stars.

From a study of how Miley Cyrus has evolved as a Disney princess to a controversial pop star, the course will

go on to explore sociological issues like gender stratification, bisexuality, and perception of the female body.

The course at the Skidmore College will be taught by Carolyn Chernoff, visiting Assistant Professor. It will be

conducted three days a week and each session will last for two-and-a-half hours.

Miley Cyrus is not the first pop star to have been made a part of college curriculum. Rutgers University offers

a Women’s and Gender Studies course titled “Feminist Perspective: Politicizing Beyoncé” while her husband

Jay Z features in the curriculum of Georgetown University, in a course titled “Sociology of Hip-Hop.” Bruce

Springsteen and Lady Gaga too have been featured in various academic courses.

Benjamin Roussey