Canada’s first university course on Kanye West, being taught at Concordia

Ever wanted to take a course on Kanye West? If you’re a Fine Arts student at Concordia University – now you can.

Montreal rapper Narcy – known to his students as professor Yassin Alsalman – will be teaching the “Kanye vs. Ye: Genius by Design” course this fall.

“This class isn’t only about Kanye. It’s about community, creativity, responsibility, accountability, fame and mental health, dreams and nightmares – and more importantly, self-actualization,” wrote the professor in an Instagram post.

In an interview with CityNews, Alsalman tells us that it’s all about teaching “students critical thinking around, around the things that they involve themselves in.”

 

Alsalman started teaching at Concordia in 2013 and has over the years offered courses on American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, Lauryn Hill, and more.

“I’ve always used artists as sources of study within the hip hop courses, as opposed to just teaching the history of hip hop and somebody that’s so formative and present in the minds of youth is Kanye West. So it only made sense to to use him as a as a case study for the class,” the professor said.

“I think, Kanye, his presence has brought up a lot of conversation, whether it be around male privilege, creative genius, being able to dabble in different forms of creativity, from fashion to music to, you know, and excelling in all these spaces. Challenging industry while being a part of the industry.”

And West isn’t without his controversies. Over the years, there’s been his feud with Taylor Swift – many called an obsession –  to recently his constant social media attacks on ex-wife Kim Kardashian that were called out as harassment

There’s been his friendship with Donald Trump and his own run for U.S. President, to name a few.

The official course description reads: “This class dissects Ye’s art, design, music, celebrity-life, and cultural impacts in the age of information. Unquestionably a problematic figure, Kanye West is also a maven of all the creative industries he has touched. By using Kanye’s albums as cultural, artistic, and personal lenses; this class studies the evolution of his genius, and explores the concept of “Kanyetive Dissonance” – the unique, complex, and controversial natures and contexts of Kanye’s body of work and impacts.”

“I hope they teach it in the right way and not like take his side and about like the controversial things that he said and did,” said one student we spoke to.

“I think it’s fun for students applying in this class. It’s different than all the other electives,” added another.

“Then maybe if they’re adding a Kanye West course, maybe they should add a few others […] maybe [someone would] love to study someone like Freddie Mercury or Leonard Cohen,” explained a student outside Concordia.

“I always say I learn as much from my students as I teach them, so I’m looking forward to being back in a space with them where we can have conversations and grow together,” said Alsalman.

A limited number of places are open to Concordia Fine Arts students for the Kanye West class in fall 2022.