Honors College to Host Pulse Panel Discussion on Bad Bunny

The Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, but headlines were dominated by the halftime show featuring Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican singer and rapper who just won the Grammy Award for album of the year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos. The cultural zeitgeist spiked the next day as coverage of Bad Bunny outpaced reporting on the winning team by 42%, according to a LexisNexis analysis of global news coverage. 

To be fair to football, CBS Sports ranked the game No. 8 on its list of the worst Super Bowls of all time, citing an "extremely rough" night for the Patriots. Meanwhile, Bad Bunny's performance drew 135 million viewers, surpassing Kendrick Lamar's previous halftime record by 1.5 million.  

On social media, viewers fixated on the show's imagery, from speculation over the meaning of Bad Bunny's jersey number to his ascent up electrical poles that spat sparks and flashes as he performed "El Apagón." The show drew a range of reactions: some praised it as an expression of Puerto Rican pride and a celebration of the Americas, while others criticized it for being largely in Spanish or framed it within a broader political debate. The selection also aligned with the NFL's ongoing international expansion efforts as the league works to grow its audience beyond the United States. 

The upcoming Honors College Pulse Panel Discussion: Bad Bunny will bring together faculty with expertise in digital culture, Latin American and Latino studies, and music to explore the viral performance and controversy storming the digital gridiron.  

Faculty who will provide context and lead a question-and-answer include: 

• Bobbie Foster, assistant professor of journalism  

• Yajaira M. Padilla, professor of English and Latin American and Latino studies 

• Lia Uribe, associate dean for arts and humanities and professor of music

• Alejandra Campos, the Diane D. Blair Professor of Latino Studies

The panel will be moderated by honors students Joshua Bozarth, Muskan Taori, Reese Smith and Austin Morrow. 

Attendees are invited to enjoy pizza and refreshments during the discussion. The event will take place from 4:30-5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, in Gearhart Hall 130, and is open to the entire campus. Please RSVP via Hogsync.

The Honors College Pulse discussion series began in 2016 and was named in remembrance of victims of the Pulse nightclub shootings. Discussion topics are generated by honors students. The discussions allow students to ask questions about current events and trends and to learn holistically from varying interdisciplinary perspectives across campus. Panel discussions have featured conversations around nuclear proliferation, affirmative action, the Dakota Access Pipeline Project, Roe v. Wade, the viral phenomenon of "Barbenheimer," the legal ramifications and decisions related to hate crimes, ways to fight local hunger and poverty, the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse and more. 

About the Honors College: The University of Arkansas Honors College was established in 2002 and brings together high-achieving undergraduate students and the university's top professors to share transformative learning experiences. Each year the Honors College awards up to 90 freshman fellowships that provide $80,000 over four years, and more than $1 million in undergraduate research and study abroad grants. The Honors College is nationally recognized for the high caliber of students it admits and graduates. Honors students enjoy small, in-depth classes, and programs are offered in all disciplines, tailored to students' academic interests, with interdisciplinary collaborations encouraged. All Honors College graduates have engaged in mentored research.