You may have missed this on Monday, but West Texas A&M University has begun offering a class on heavy metal lyrics in their English department. Pretty awesome, we know. Now, Professor Martin Jacobsen who oversees the program offers a few tidbits on how the whole thing got started.
In a new interview with Death Metal Underground, Professor Jacobsen reveals how the class was born:
The students realized it. I just mentioned it would be cool to have a class on heavy metal, and the response was crazy. Word spread and people started asking me about it. The boss was in favor of it, and we had already been offering some classes off the beaten path. So, I proposed it.
As for the engagement of the students in the class compared to classic lit classes…
Way more. But, many of the students are in the class precisely because they are metalheads. Other literature classes at this level are seen as ‘have to’ humanities classes. I usually teach classical literature when I teach these classes. I get pretty good responses in those classes, but nothing like this. The students called the secretary the other day because we had a blizzard here and they wanted to make sure class was meeting. They didn’t want to miss it. Usually, a blizzard is a day off for most students, especially for a core class. This class draws people who want to be there. It’s not a fair comparison in many ways.
Check out the full interview where the professor compares death and black metal to cubism and other intellectual discussion on metal.
