People who have just learned that universities around the world offer entire subjects on Taylor Swift are mad about it.
Prestigious institutions such as Berkeley, Stanford and Harvard offer courses about the popular singer, looking at everything from her copyright battle with her music label to her economic impact and rise to legendary pop culture status. Universities in the United Kingdom, Philippines and Belgium also offer electives about the star.
However, some people were less than impressed at the idea of Swift as an academic subject.
The Citizen Free Press account posted a video to X, formerly Twitter, showing a CNN news story about Harvard's Swift course, where Professor Stephanie Burt explained why it was an interesting subject.
"Harvard is teaching a class on Taylor Swift. $75,000 per year for tuition," Citizen Free Press captioned the post.
People replied to the post claiming that the "country is lost," and criticizing the university course.
Another added: "Can anyone take Harvard, or any ivy league student serious anymore! I do not! if I encounter one of these, I snicker loudly! Let the rich eat themselves!"
And a third wrote: "This is the future of America??? We are in big-big trouble!!!"
Others welcomed the idea of studying Swift at college.
"Apparently right-wingers are afraid of Taylor Swift these days, so even if you're not be a huge fan of her music, aren't you glad she's on our side and not theirs? I also heard that some university called Harvard is teaching a whole-ass course on Taylor Swift so we should probably keep paying attention," wrote one person on X.
Crystal Haryanto, who crafted Berkeley's Taylor Swift elective that is taught by the Haas Business School, explained the importance of studying Swift and that had to do with her "due to her multidimensional roles" in society.
"Given her commercial success and evolution as an artist, she's the perfect subject to bridge traditional academic learning and relevant pop culture," Haryanto told Newsweek in January. "Unearthing the techniques that go into making such a momentous figure of our time is not only fascinating, but meaningful. Students can adopt her marketing and business strategies, as well as her ability to foster connections both intimate and worldwide, into their own fields of work."
Eric Eng, a college admissions expert, described how studying Swift could help with career prospects.
"It's now easier than ever for students to explore unique, non-traditional subjects that align with their interests. Courses focusing on pop culture icons, such as Taylor Swift, might seem frivolous at first glance. However, it's essential to consider the broader implications they can have," Eng previously told Newsweek.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more
