{"id":138998,"date":"2023-12-15T00:02:49","date_gmt":"2023-12-15T05:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/?p=138998"},"modified":"2023-12-14T16:11:21","modified_gmt":"2023-12-14T21:11:21","slug":"university-of-florida-offers-honors-offers-course-on-taylor-swift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/university-of-florida-offers-honors-offers-course-on-taylor-swift\/","title":{"rendered":"University of Florida offers \u2018honors\u2019 course on Taylor Swift"},"content":{"rendered":"

Harvard University also will study pop music star<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

University of Florida\u2019s Honors Program is offering a course this upcoming semester on Swift – not esteemed author Jonathan Swift, but pop music star Taylor Swift.<\/p>\n

Harvard University will also host a class this upcoming semester on the singer, as will several other universities. At least one school, the University of South Carolina, will use the course to teach students real skills about business.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this class, students will fearlessly jump then fall into 13 gorgeous weeks of discussing Taylor Swift\u2019s discography, with a focus on her evergreen songwriting,\u201d the UF course description states<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Students will also \u201cdraw parallels between Swift\u2019s enchanting lyrics and works by other famous female masterminds such as Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, and Dolly Parton.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Honors Program course requires students to \u201cwrite 2 online discussions posts\u201d and see a musical about Gloria Estefan among other assignments.<\/p>\n

Class instructor Melina Jimenez declined to comment on how students would apply the knowledge gained from this class and why the course is in the honors program. The university\u2019s media relations team did not respond to the same questions sent twice in the past two and a half weeks.<\/p>\n

Jimenez has an interest in promoting \u201cdiversity, equity, and inclusion,\u201d according to her teaching philosophy<\/a>. \u201cIn Florida, and in many locations around the nation, lawmakers are pushing back on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts,\u201d she wrote. This is likely in reference to Governor Ron DeSantis\u2019 efforts to limit woke content<\/a> in higher education and reorient<\/a> state universities.<\/p>\n

She wrote she uses \u201cculturally responsive pedagogy\u201d and makes sure to include LGBT authors. \u201cI also choose articles by women, nonbinary, and LGBTQ+ writers, so that students are exposed to a range of ideas, and we can have uncomfortable conversations about using pronouns in a safe environment where they are encouraged to ask questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jimenez applies this DEI lens to the Swift course. \u201cPeople have very strong reactions because she\u2019s a woman,\u201d the instructor told the student newspaper the Alligator<\/em><\/a>. \u201cShe can sing about a topic and a man can sing about a topic and she gets all the hate, where men don\u2019t get any reaction at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harvard<\/a> also recently announced a \u201cTaylor Swift and Her World\u201d class for the upcoming spring semester.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaylor Swift is a good way to think about what it\u2019s like to have a lot of eyes on you and to wonder what you do with your privilege,\u201d instructor Stephanie Burton told the student newspaper. \u201cTo look around and ask, \u2018I\u2019m pretty ambitious and I got to this place when I was pretty young. What do I do next? What do I do with all this attention?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

One course will use it to teach students about business and management<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Other universities started following the Taylor Swift course trend, with one course using the singer as a way to teach about business and management.<\/p>\n

Northeastern University and the University of South Carolina also announced that they will be teaching a Swift course.<\/p>\n

Northeastern\u2019s \u201cSpeak Now: Gender & Storytelling in Taylor Swift\u2019s Eras\u201d course will be taught in the upcoming spring semester. The course will focus on \u201chow women\u2019s literary and cultural influences on genre and narrative have shaped the artistry of Taylor Swift\u2019s ten eras,” according to a university announcement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

USC\u2019s \u201cLife is Just a Classroom: Taylor\u2019s Version\u201d course will also be taught in the upcoming spring semester through its hospitality, retail and sport management college.<\/p>\n

The course<\/a> will focus on \u201cSwift\u2019s business acumen and her \u2018agency as a woman\u2019 in the music industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

This class is \u201ca semester-long case study into the various business and management aspects of Swift\u2019s career,\u201d instructor Kate Blanton told The Fix<\/em> via email. \u201cThe students enrolled seek careers in the retailing, hospitality and tourism, and entertainment management industries, so this course is aimed at strengthening the application of their knowledge to the industry using Swift as an example.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe motivation for this course was sparked by my own interest in digging deeper into the business side of Taylor Swift\u2019s career,\u201d Blanton said. \u201cI was intrigued by her ability and motivations for re-recording her first six albums, her merchandising strategies, corporate sponsorships, concert experience, and the overall fan community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been teaching in various capacities for 21 years,\u201d Blanton said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny time we have an opportunity to connect student learning with their real lives and things they are interested and care about, we are poised to give them an experience they will grow from and take with them to their future learning and careers.\u201d<\/p>\n

MORE:<\/strong> Academic conference to focus on ‘phenomenon’ of Taylor Swift<\/a><\/p>\n

IMAGE: Brian Friedman\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

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