Studying 9 to 5? New Dolly Parton university course launched by Open University

Country music fans are being given the chance to complete a university course all about the singer Dolly Parton.

The Open University, based in Milton Keynes, is offering the short, six-week course as a gateway for students keen to study music further as well as finding out about the Jolene songwriter and her place in musical culture.

Marie Thompson, the academic who wrote the course, said: "The first time I heard Jolene, I was so surprised that this person who I’d always thought was the butt of jokes about women’s bodies could write this song that had such a complex sentiment.

"I would say that Dolly Parton is a very valuable musician and she deserves to be on a university curriculum."

Parton, who was born in 1946 in Tennessee, has become as well known for her image as her songs.

Often making fun of herself, she once told Irish television's The Late Late Show: "I need to make a lot of money because it would amaze you to know how much it costs to make a person look this cheap."

But her song, Dumb Blonde, pointed out that, despite appearances, she was "nobody's fool".

Dr Thompson said understanding what is real and what is not is part of the skill in studying the I Will Always Love You singer.

"Part of the difficulty in studying Dolly Parton is that, in many ways, the myth is as important as what is true," she said.

Parton first performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in 1959 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999.

Beyond her music, she has become known for her philanthropy, often benefiting communities in her home county and addressing everything from high school drop-out rates and literacy, to wild fires and the coronavirus pandemic.

She created the Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge to bring money into her community through the creation of thousands of jobs and bringing tourists to the area.

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

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