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University of Florida offers course on Jimmy Buffett focusing on his music, environmentalism, philanthropy

Class believed to be first college course on Buffett in Florida and possibly the US

Margaritaville comes to Delray! T.A. Walker is shining a light on a Party in Paradise at Old School Square. Tomorrow is Florida’s first official Jimmy Buffett Day and here’s everything you need to know to kick of Labor Day Weekend early.

FILE - This July 29, 2016 file photo shows Jimmy Buffett performing on NBC's "Today" show in New York. Buffett, who popularized beach bum soft rock with the escapist Caribbean-flavored song “Margaritaville” and turned that celebration of loafing into an empire of restaurants, resorts and frozen concoctions, has died, Friday, Sept. 1, 2023.

By: Scott Sutton

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Colleges across the country have made headlines recently for teaching classes centered around Taylor Swift.

Now, the University of Florida is offering a course focused on the laid-back musical talents of Jimmy Buffett.

According to the school, the course is titled (Un)Common Arts: "Son of a Son of a Sailor" and is believed to be the first college class on Buffett in Florida and possibly in the country.

In a bit of an homage to the "Margaritaville" singer, the honors elective class starts at 5:10 p.m. (It's Five O'Clock Somewhere, right?) on Tuesdays this fall at the Gainesville campus.

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Instructor Melissa L. Johnson, Ph.D. said in a news release that she encourages the 12 "Parrotheads" in her class — no matter their previous knowledge of Buffett — to always learn something new about the artist, whether it is about his entrepreneurial enterprises, his environmental activism or his philanthropic endeavors.

"Because this is an honors course, I will be sneaking in some research and archival research skills," Johnson said in a statement. "We are going to try and track down everything we can find on Jimmy Buffett in Gainesville."

Sept. 1 marked the first anniversary of the singer-songwriter's death.

This year Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law designating A1A as "Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway," stretching along the east coast of Florida including Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River.

Click here to read more about the class.

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