TAYLOR Swift seems unstoppable. The American superstar is breaking all kinds of financial records with her global "The Eras Tour," even causing seismic activity similar to an earthquake when she performed in Seattle. And as if that weren't enough, she's about to become the subject of a university course in Belgium. It may sound like a surprising initiative, but this is by no means an isolated case.
The Ghent University in Belgium will be launching an elective English literature course focusing on the American singer's lyrics at the start of the new academic year. The course in question is titled "Literature (Taylor's Version)," in reference to the titles of the old albums the artist has re-recorded to reclaim the full rights to her music, reports The Brussels Times. It will be taught by Elly McCausland, Professor of English Literature at Ghent University, and will be reserved for students following the "Language and Literature" master's program.
The aim of the course is to examine the links between Taylor Swift's lyrics and texts by the great writers of English literature.
"She also uses a lot of metaphors, and she's very aware of the politics of writing and the politics of gender," Elly McCausland told NOS Stories. That's why the specialist is encouraging any literature student to sign up for this course, whether or not they are a fan of the pop star.
With this course, Ghent University joins a long list of higher education institutions offering courses dedicated to some of the biggest names in contemporary music. These include Taylor Swift, to whom New York University and Stanford University already devote courses, as well as Lady Gaga, Rihanna, David Bowie, Michael Jackson and Harry Styles.
The former One Direction member has been a subject of academic study at the University of Texas since the spring of 2023, analyzed through the lens of his musical heritage and the "cultural and political development of the modern celebrity as related to questions of gender and sexuality, race, class, nation and globalism, media, fashion, fan culture, internet culture and consumerism," as course teacher, Louie Dean Valencia, explained.
While North American and British universities have been offering courses focusing on celebrities since the early 2000s, their European counterparts have only recently moved into the field. Beyoncé became a subject of academic study at the University of Copenhagen in 2017, while the Beatles joined the University of Liverpool's course catalog in 2021, with the master's degree "The Beatles: Music Industry and Heritage."
This master's programme aims to "extend contemporary discourse about the Beatles beyond the historical and musicological into a broader and more robust 21st-century context," and reflects the colossal cultural and economic impact of the Fab Four on their home city. A very serious subject indeed. – ETX Daily Up, August 19, 2023
