New York University’s Clive Davis Institute is now offering a course on Taylor Swift, in case the anti-liberal elite education camp needed any more reasons to complain about fancy, big city degrees. And, surprise, the course already has a long waiting list. Per Variety, the class will be taught by Rolling Stone’s Brittany Spanos and cover, “Swift’s evolution as a creative music entrepreneur, the legacy of pop and country songwriters, discourses of youth and girlhood, and the politics of race in contemporary popular music.” But the whole thing begs the question...who needs this?
A portion of the course description reads, “This course proposes to deconstruct both the appeal and aversions to Taylor Swift through close readings of her music and public discourse as it relates to her own growth as an artist and a celebrity. Through readings, lectures and more, the class delves into analyses of the culture and politics of teen girlhood in pop music, fandom, media studies, whiteness and power as it relates to her image and the images of those who have both preceded and succeeded her. We’ll also consider topics like copyright and ownership, American nationalism and the ongoing impact of social media on the pop music industry.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m a pop culture nerd, and that description sounds genuinely interesting — but it also sounds like a far-reaching attempt to make a deep dive into a character like Swift seem valuable.
