'Superstar's Tremendous Influence'... Harvard University to Open 'Taylor Swift' Course

Planning to Read Literary Works That Influenced Swift
Florida University and New York University Also Offered Swift Lectures in the Past

A course exploring the musical world of global pop star Taylor Swift (33) will be offered at the prestigious Harvard University in the United States.

New Course 'Taylor Swift and Her World' Established

Pop star Taylor Swift is performing her 'Eras Tour' stage in Inglewood, California, USA, last August.
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

According to the British daily The Times, Harvard University will introduce a new course titled 'Taylor Swift and Her World' starting next spring semester. Through this lecture, students will examine Swift's musical world from various cultural contexts, covering her life, music career, and fan culture.

According to the course description posted on Harvard's website, students will study "ways of thinking about white, (American) Southern, transatlantic texts and queer (LGBTQ+) subtexts."

They will also read literary works that influenced Swift's music, including poems and novels by poet William Wordsworth and novelist Willa Cather, and explore female artists who paved the musical path for Swift, such as Dolly Parton, known as the queen of American country music.

Stephanie Burt, a professor of English at Harvard who is teaching the course, told the American entertainment media TMZ that since singer-songwriter Swift has incorporated her relationships with herself and others into her songs, "we will also talk about her relationships."

This is not the first university to offer a course on Swift. The University of Florida and New York University have also offered courses about Swift. NYU awarded Swift an honorary degree, and she delivered the commencement speech at the university last year.

Boosting Local Economies... The Coined Term 'Swiftonomics'

On the 9th of last month (local time), fans of pop star Taylor Swift were waiting for the start of his 'Eras Tour' performance in Buenos Aires, Argentina. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Swift is a world-renowned singer who has swept awards such as the Grammy Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and American Music Awards. Last year, she set a historic record by having 10 songs from her 10th studio album occupy the top 10 spots on Billboard's main singles chart, the 'Hot 100.'

Her fandom, known as 'Swifties,' is especially famous for being passionate and devoted. The economic impact generated by this fandom is also powerful. In fact, reports have emerged that local economies are revitalized wherever Swift holds her tours.

Swift's contribution to local economies is described in the U.S. economy as 'Swiftonomics,' a term combining Taylor Swift and economics, meaning that Swift's concerts have caused significant economic ripple effects. It is also called 'Taylornomics.'

Caroline Sloan, a labor economics professor at the University of Chicago, said, "Swift not only has talent that transcends generations but is also an excellent economist."