The Oxford College of Emory University has launched a brand new course following the success of Tyler Perry’s career.
As of this fall, 14 freshmen students will get to register for “In the Language of Folk and Kin: The Legacy of Folklore, the Griot and Community in the Artistic Praxis of Tyler Perry,” developed by Tameka Cage Conley, an assistant professor of English and creative writing.
This course will require students to compare the works of the entertainment moguls with Zora Neale Hurston, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Ntozake Shange, among others.
Conley told NBC News, “Ultimately, I thought it was vital to recognize that Perry was telling the stories about aspects of our communities that are usually ignored and people who are often ignored.”
Students will also examine Perry’s childhood, his many accomplishments, including opening his film studio in East Point, Georgia, and his cultural influence in this one-time-only course.
“I want these young people to have a safe space to engage every element of who they are … They can bring their full selves to the classroom as we sit at the table together. And so I thought that Tyler Perry is the person who enables me to be a conduit for them to feel safe,” said Conley.
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