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UC Berkeley launches course on global success of K-pop band BTS
The global success of K-pop act BTS lies at the core of a new student-run course launched at the University of California, Berkeley.
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Students enter the campus of the University of California at Berkeley through the main entrance, Sather Gate. (Shutterstock/cdrin)
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he global success of K-pop act BTS lies at the core of an academic course launched at the University of California, Berkeley. The student-run course was announced on the university’s website on Thursday as part of UC Berkeley’s Democratic Education at Cal program (DeCal).
On the course “Next Generation Leaders: BTS” students will learn about the K-pop boy band’s growing global impact, which led to their immense success.
The DeCal program allows students to create and facilitate their own classes on a variety of subjects, as reported by Yonhap. The BTS class is an option for media students at UC Berkeley and will be offered for the first time in spring.
The course outline for “Next Generation Leaders: BTS” on the school’s website reads: “This course will focus on Korean boy group BTS and their global impact. We will attempt to explore the group’s history, artistry, philanthropy, and many other aspects in order to analyze their growing impact in society as well as their international success.”
It would also dive into the intricate world known as ‘Bangtan Universe’ that the group has created through its album concepts and videos. Media articles and interviews would be utilized as well, and students would come up with theories about the group’s success.
Read also: ‘Next BTS’? Big Hit unveils new boy band TXT
The orientation session for the course was held on Feb. 5, and a Twitter account has been dedicated to the course. A photo on Twitter showed the enrolled students watching a video of BTS’ acclaimed speech during a United Nations General Assembly session in September. BTS fans expressed their support for the program on Twitter.
BTS attended this year’s Grammy Awards in Los Angeles and made history as the first K-pop presenters at the event. The group’s album Love yourself: Tear was nominated in the Best Recording Package category. (geo/mut)
