Rutgers Offers Course on Bad Bunny's Music, Exploring Puerto Rican Culture

The class examines the Puerto Rican superstar's 2025 album "Debí Tirar Más Fotos" and its connections to the island's history and struggles.

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

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Rutgers University has launched a course centered on Bad Bunny's 2025 album "Debí Tirar Más Fotos," exploring Puerto Rican history and culture through the Latina superstar's music. The course was proposed by two students who grew up listening to Bad Bunny and felt his lyrics had deeper themes related to the Puerto Rican diaspora. While initially skeptical, the professor teaching the course, Dámaris M. Otero-Torres, was moved by the album's fusion of musical traditions and its political themes.

Why it matters

The course highlights how popular music can be a powerful medium for exploring complex cultural and political issues. By examining Bad Bunny's work, students gain insights into the Puerto Rican experience, including the island's status as a U.S. territory without full sovereignty or political representation.

The details

The three-credit course was launched last semester and will be offered again next fall, starting with a deeper look at Bad Bunny's historic Super Bowl LX Halftime show performance. Three other institutions, including Yale University, Wellesley College, and Loyola Marymount University, have also added seminars on Bad Bunny's music.

  • The course was launched last semester at Rutgers University.
  • The course will be offered again next fall, starting with a deeper look at Bad Bunny's Super Bowl LX Halftime show performance.

The players

Dámaris M. Otero-Torres

A professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Rutgers University's School of Arts and Sciences, who initially was skeptical about teaching the course but was moved by the album's fusion of musical traditions and political themes.

Erin Foley and Rosselyn Rugama-Ruiz

Two Rutgers students who grew up listening to Bad Bunny's music and campaigned for the course, feeling his lyrics had deeper themes related to the Puerto Rican diaspora.

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What they’re saying

“Not my field of expertise,'”

— Dámaris M. Otero-Torres, Professor (app.com)

“The (musical) fusion that he had; the way he honored the traditions; I don't think I had seen that in Puerto Rican history. And when I started listening to the words, I was like, 'oh my God, this album is so political.'”

— Dámaris M. Otero-Torres, Professor (app.com)

What’s next

The three-credit course will be offered again next fall, starting with a deeper look at Bad Bunny's Super Bowl LX Halftime show performance.

The takeaway

This course demonstrates how popular music can be a powerful tool for exploring complex cultural and political issues, providing students with a deeper understanding of the Puerto Rican experience and the role of art in shaping identity and social change.