What do you actually learn in a Taylor Swift course at Harvard University?
Let's say you were lucky enough to get into Harvard - arguably the best and most competitive university in the United States - and lucky enough to get a seat in a course about Taylor Swift. (As you can imagine, there is quite a demand for it.) But what is actually taught in this course, officially titled "English 183ts. Taylor Swift and Her World". Stephanie Burt, a literary critic who teaches the course, told "Entertainment Tonight" that students "benefit from learning about the arts they love, old and new, in a variety of genres." (Incidentally, Harvard University is one of the universities offering a course on the pop culture phenomenon known as Swift.)
The one-hour class at Harvard "aims to explore Swift's various genres and their economic impact on cities around the world when she arrived for her Eras tour," Entertainment Tonight reports. The class will also examine her catalog.
"We will learn how to think about infidelity, hoaxes, champagne issues and imperfect closure," the class outline reads.
"We will look at her predecessors, from Dolly Parton to Border Ballard. Then we will read works of literature important to her, including novels, memoirs, and poems by Willa Cather, James Weldon Johnson, Tracey Thorne, and William Wordsworth, as well as works on song and performance.Burt said that students will "analyze Swift's work, think about it in detail, and create footnotes to help us understand that the verbal techniques and musical elements that move us are not in our heads, but are chosen by Swift to convey a particular message or emotion We will do so," he said. Describing Swift's writing as "witty" and "insightful," Burt said it is her role to help students better understand Swift and her "body of work" by referencing Cather and Weldon Johnson's novels. In doing so, she hopes to "take advantage of a room full of Swift lovers and introduce hundreds of students to these poems."
If all goes well, Burt said, "you might notice how many students come for Taylor and stay for the other writers."
While the relevance of Taylor Swift's course, especially teaching it at an Ivy League school like Harvard University, has come under fire, world-renowned author James Patterson specifically weighed in on the Harvard course and endorsed it: "Hey, #Swifties '" wrote Patterson on Instagram. Hey #Swifties," Patterson wrote on Instagram. That seems to be the plan in Cambridge. She's had a brilliant career and is a lesson in success. Not only is she a great entertainer, she is a very smart business person. Would I take that course?
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