University of Guelph joins the list of North American schools with courses exploring and inspired by the pop icon
Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour may have ended, but the artist’s status as a cultural icon is now more embedded than ever.
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Those looking to learn and share more about the effect T-Swizzle and her defining brand have on the world around us have turned to the University of Guelph, where an online course starting in January will include a new case study of her meteoric impact.
Course co-designer Dr. Alyssa Woods, a professor of popular music at the U of G’s school of fine art and music, says Swift is no mere songstress or pop star.
“Any artist that rises to this level of popularity and success becomes a pervasive element of our culture,” she explains.
“It begs the larger question — does she affect a fundamental ideological worldview shift in people?”
Dr. Robert Edwards, a scholar of religion and popular culture and U of G sessional lecturer who co-designed with Woods, says participant conversations will go deeper than simply talking about the 14-time Grammy winner.
“We’re talking about the current state of politics in the U.S., how Taylor engages with and affects the body image of teens, how The Eras Tour has shifted the way ticket sales now work for all concerts.”
Other topics of discussion will include Swift’s decision to re-record and gain legal control of her first six albums; the economic impact of her two-year, 149-show, 21-country tour; what she means to the NFL; and “the way she brings people of all ages and races together in a shared experience of girlhood that embraces all genders and truly embodies inclusivity, authenticity and joy.”
From an educational standpoint, she says the course’s foundational critical thinking and analysis skills provide a unique approach to critical engagement, applicable across all educational disciplines.
The academics hope it can serve as a model for similar studies of other icons.
The 12-week asynchronous course — which allows students to approach the material and discussion at their own pace, with no scheduled class times — is open to any student, regardless of major, and is worth half a credit. It’s also open to the general public.
Tuition for Ontario and Canadian students is about $680 and $780, respectively, but international students will have to shell out nearly $3,600, which is about on par with what most universities are charging non-resident students.
The course has already reached its enrollment cap of 600 students, per Global News, but there are discussions about possibly offering it again in the summer semester.
Where else can you study Swift?
The University of Guelph isn’t the first school to include Taylor Swift in its curriculum offerings. It’s not even the first Canadian institution.
This fall, Queen’s University’s law school introduced “Law (Taylor’s Version),” created by professor and proud Swiftie Mohamed Khimji after he found himself explaining the legal nuances of her business decisions to colleagues.
The University of Cincinnati led the way in three areas of study — philosophy, writing, and popular music.
Several post-secondary institutions presented “Taylor’s Version” classes of their own, including East Carolina University’s English 1500, which uses Swift’s lyrics and other sources to “explore a range of topics within contemporary media cultures.”
There’s also the University of Delaware’s “Data Enchanted: Transforming Numbers into Knowledge,” a business and economics workshop wherein students learn how to create statistical visualizations on specific software by analyzing the popularity of Swift’s songs and albums.
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