The University of Southern California will introduce a four-credit course centered on K-pop star G-Dragon in spring 2026, becoming the first U.S. university to dedicate a full academic class to a single K-pop artist. USC confirmed the class as part of its upcoming Annenberg School electives.
The course arrives at a moment when K-pop continues to deepen its footprint in global culture and higher education. It also coincides with the 20th anniversary of G-Dragon’s debut, which many scholars and industry experts credit as a turning point in modern K-pop.
Course explores influence beyond music
The course, titled “Crooked Studies of K-pop: The Case of G-Dragon,” will examine the musician’s impact on music production, fashion, youth culture, and global fandoms. Hye Jin Lee, a clinical professor at USC Annenberg, will teach the class. According to the Korea Times, the course aims to challenge assumptions that K-pop is purely commercial by analyzing its artistic and cultural dimensions through G-Dragon’s career.
USC lists the course among its Spring 2026 electives, placing it alongside offerings in sports, artificial intelligence, and media studies. The JoongAng Daily reported that the class will study G-Dragon’s dual identity as both a member of BIGBANG and a solo artist, focusing on his role in shaping K-pop’s sound and aesthetic over two decades.
Galaxy Corporation, G-Dragon’s management company, told the Korea Times that the course is “highly meaningful” as the artist approaches his anniversary year. The agency said the class recognizes his influence on global pop culture and highlights the academic value of studying K-pop through a figure who helped define it.
K-pop enters the academic mainstream
Universities in the United States have previously offered courses on prominent pop figures such as Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, but USC’s decision marks one of the first instances of a K-pop star receiving the same level of academic attention. South Korean outlets noted that the course reflects the genre’s growing acceptance as a subject of scholarly research, not just entertainment coverage.
For USC, the class signals a broader shift toward integrating contemporary global culture into communication and media studies. For students, it will offer a structured exploration of the forces behind one of the most influential pop movements of the last 20 years.
As G-Dragon’s career reaches a milestone, USC’s new course suggests that his influence is not only chart-topping but also historically significant, giving K-pop a place in the lecture hall as well as on the world stage.
