Aiken’s college will offer ‘Idol’ 101

Clay Aiken sang his way to a runner-up finish on the television show “American Idol.” Last season, fellow North Carolinian Fantasia Barrino won a lucrative recording contract by claiming the title.

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte will now cement the show’s legacy in the state by offering an academic course about the TV show.

Beginning in January, students at UNC will earn three credit hours for the class “Examining ‘American Idol’ Through Musical Critique.”

The class will watch the show twice a week and devise its own system for rating contestants. Students will learn the history of different musical styles used as “Idol” themes, such as Motown and Broadway. The final project will be a paper on who should win and why.

The elective course was created by Jay Grymes, assistant professor of musicology. The show can be a springboard for serious discussion about the art of performing music and the craft of critiquing it, he said.