Skip to main content

The Beatles in the Classroom: John, Paul, George, and Ringo Go to College

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
New Critical Perspectives on the Beatles

Part of the book series: Pop Music, Culture and Identity ((PMCI))

  • 941 Accesses

Abstract

The Beatles have been finding their way into college courses in a number of interesting ways in recent years. The band and their music have proven to be meaningful points of entry for a wide range of academic investigations, ranging from song lyrics as poetry to understanding the complex working of the music business. This chapter looks at some of the ways the Beatles have been utilized in college classrooms, with a particular emphasis on a case study of a course, The Beatles and the 1960s: The Band, The Music and Their Times, designed to use the Fab Four to better understand the social and political upheavals of that turbulent decade.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Works Cited

  • Beatles, The. The Beatles Anthology. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2000. Print.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freccero, Carla. Popular Culture: An Introduction. 1999. New York: New York UP. Print.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liverpool Hope University. Web. 4 June 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, Geoffrey. “Taking the Beatles Seriously: Problems of Text.” The Journal of Popular Culture 3.1 (1969): 28–34. Print.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morrell, Ernest. “Toward a critical pedagogy of popular culture: Literacy development among urban youth.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 46:1 (Sept. 2002): 72–77. Print.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morris, Steven. “The Beatles refused to play to segregated audience in the US.” The Guardian. 15 Sept. 2011. Web. 26 July 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramella, Brynne. “Eight Schools That Offer Classes in the Beatles.” 25 June 2015. Web. 6 July 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strauss, Valarie. “A master’s degree on The Beatles – really.” Washington Post. 6 Feb. 2015. Web. 15 June 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vallee, Joe. “Paul McCartney Has Mixed Feelings On Beatles College Courses.” wogl.cbslocal.com. CBS Local, 29 Dec. 2014. Web. 4 June 2015.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Copyright information

© 2016 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Shaw, P. (2016). The Beatles in the Classroom: John, Paul, George, and Ringo Go to College. In: Womack, K., Kapurch, K. (eds) New Critical Perspectives on the Beatles. Pop Music, Culture and Identity. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57013-0_13

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics