Open University to offer short course studying the songs of country and western star Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton may be one of the most successful singer-songwriters of all time, but now the music icon is to become an object of study.

The star famous for her hit songs 9 to 5, Jolene and Islands in the Stream, has become the subject of a new short course which launches early next year.

The Open University is to offer a short, six-week course, all about Parton's impact on music, identity and culture.

The course has been written by Dr Marie Thompson, a lecturer in Popular Music.

She said: “You don’t have to have any previous experience of studying music, but it introduces some of the key concepts and ideas that are useful for studying popular music in a higher education context.”

In week one students will study Parton’s life, career and music and her relationship to musical authenticity, gender and the poor white communities in southern United States.

The 77-year-old, who also penned the hit 'I Will Always Love You', is no stranger to education programmes, having set up one herself.

She funds a book-gifting scheme aimed at encouraging a love of reading in children.

And she has also funded research, she gave $1 million (£720,000) to help fund a vaccine against Covid 19.

The new OU course starts next February and more details are available here.

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