Shakira completes ancient philosophy course at Penn while social distancing

Everyone seems to be picking up a new hobby while stuck staying at home. But instead of experimenting with a sourdough starter, Grammy award-winning singer Shakira decided to study up on ancient philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania.

Shakira, 43, completed a four-week, online course and on Thursday posted a photo to social media of her posing with her certificate and proudly boasting that she had graduated. 


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"I just graduated from my 4 week Ancient Philosophy course with the University of Pennsylvania (@Penn)," she said. "I know ... my hobbies are very impractical, but it took a lot of hours after the kids were asleep."

The class – Ancient Philosophy: Plato and His Predecessors – is taught by philosophy professor and undergraduate chair at Penn, Susan Sauvé Meyer. 

“It was great to see she was taking the course but even greater to see she was taking notes and taking it seriously," Meyer told the Daily Pennsylvanian. "It warms a teacher's heart.”

Last month, Shakira re-posted a video to Instagram that was taken by her partner, Girard Piqué. It showed the singer taking notes while watching one of the lectures. "Just a benign ancient philosophy course at @uofpenn to make the confinement productive," she said in the caption. "I have to be able to think about other things rather than Paw Patrol!!"


If you'd like to follow in Shakira's footsteps and learn about the early thinkers that inspired Plato and Western Philosophy, the class is free through Coursera. Though, it costs $49 in order to receive a certificate showing you completed the course. 

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