BU introduces new Taylor Swift course

300-level course for 25 students, is a discussion-based class that involves reading, writing and listening to music. Hughes appreciates the small class size because it can be more challenging to have discussions in large lecture courses, and the class material is more suitable for a smaller group.

It’s no surprise that Taylor Swift has taken over the music industry, but now she is starting to impact college classrooms as well.

Binghamton University is following the lead of other schools, such as the University of Texas and New York University, by offering a Taylor Swift course for students to partake in. The four-credit, writingintensive class is being offered as a special topics elective in the music department this spring semester. It’s taught by pop and country music scholar Lecturer Phoebe Hughes, who is very passionate about Swift and her impact on the music industry.

Hughes said she loves how Swift has interacted with different parts of the industry throughout her career.

“She started as a young artist in country music from the mid-2000s through the early 2010s,” Hughes said. “This was remarkable because there were not a lot of women artists or young artists in the country industry at this time. She was able to capture a particular fanbase that was very speaking to a lot of young people, especially young women, in ways that were very compelling.”

The elective being offered, a

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In this course, students will be delving into certain themes for each time period and each era of Swift. Derrick Weisburd, a junior majoring in industrial and systems engineering, is taking the class this semester. Weisburd is excited to explore what the class is going to offer but knows it won’t be a cakewalk.

“I can already tell we are going to be diving deep into major sociopolitical issues, and how Swift’s music plays a part of it,” Weisburd wrote in an e-mail. “It also appears that we’ll be taking a look into how the industry works, which might seem a bit challenging to those who are more passive listeners to her music.” see taylor page 6

One topic that will be thoroughly explored is ’90s country, looking into artists such as Carrie Underwood, LeAnn Rimes, Shania Twain and the Chicks. The class will discuss the influence that the radio had on pop culture, and also the gender discrepancies that occurred during this time.

Tuesday, January 24, 2023