Beyonce is one of the world's most scrutinised pop stars and now the focus is moving to academia.

The women's and gender studies department at Rutgers University in New Jersey is offering a course called Politicising Beyonce.

Kevin Allred, a doctoral student who is teaching the class, told the university's online news site that he was using Beyonce's career as a way to explore American race, gender and sexual politics.

The class supplements an analysis of Beyonce's videos and lyrics with readings from black feminists. Mr Allred says he is seeking to help students think more critically about media consumption.

Rutgers also has a class examining the theology of Bruce Springsteen's lyrics and Georgetown University has a class called The Sociology of Hip-Hop: The Urban Theodicy of Jay-Z, focusing on Beyonce's rapper husband.

Beyonce is due to play Glasgow on February 20.