1st Beatles scholar graduates in Liverpool

[January 27, 2011]  LONDON (AP) -- A former Miss Canada finalist has become the first graduate of a Liverpool university's groundmaking degree program based on analyzing the Beatles' music and their impact on Western culture.

Liverpool Hope University officials believe the master's program offers the first advanced degree based on the life and times of the Fab Four.

Mary-Lu Zahalan-Kennedy joined the program when it started in 2009 and graduated Wednesday. She is one of 12 full-time students of the program -- "The Beatles, Popular Music and Society."

Zahalan-Kennedy, a singer and actress, said the course provided insight into the wide-ranging influence of the Beatles.

The course also deals with how the port city of Liverpool helped shape the group's identity.

[Associated Press]

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