University to offer Taylor Swift-themed psychology course covering 'advanced topics'
The course will apply Swift's music to psychology
With the music industry firmly under her thumb, it was only a matter of time before Taylor Swift moved into the world of academia.
Arizona State University has announced plans to introduce a course inspired by the 'Anti-Hero' singer.
In a statement, university officials announced that the college would be offering a course called 'Psychology of Taylor Swift - Advanced Topics of Social Psychology'.
They said: "In an academic version of ‘What Would Taylor Swift Do?’ the class content will draw on themes from her songs, such as family, friends, fame and more."
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Students taking the class will learn about 'advanced topics in sociology and psychology' that feature in T-Swizzle's music.
The course's instructor, Alexandra Wormley, hopes it will 'spark meaningful conversation'.
She said: "The course is basically using Taylor Swift as a semester-long example of different phenomena - gossip, relationships, revenge."
Wormley insists that the course is not a fan club and would merely connect themes from Swift's albums to different aspects of psychology.
She added: "Taylor’s sixth album, 'Reputation', is her comeback after disappearing from the spotlight due to conflicts with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.
"She enacts her revenge on them - and the broader media landscape - by dropping an incredibly successful album along with a stadium tour.
"The students know this - but do they know why we like revenge? Do they know how we enact revenge? Social psychology can tell us."
The class is being offered in the fall semester.
Believe it or not, this isn't the first time that Swift has appeared on a university course.
In April, officials at the University of Missouri announced that they'd be offering a one-credit, small sized tutorial course called 'Taylor Swiftory'.
This took Swift's music and applied to history and literature.
Rice University in Houston, Texas, was also full of appreciation for Swift's lyrical abilities, as they offered a course called 'Taylor Swift Lyrical Evolution'.
On its website, it said: "Using a chronological approach, this course will spend time on each one of her ten albums. We'll consider a broad range of topics, including: femininity and gender; social media and public opinion; politics and social impact; fiction and nonfiction; American nationalism and whiteness; and finally, family and feuds."
And what do you do if you get a bad grade in any of these courses? Or your family give you stick for not choosing a more 'worthwhile' degree?
Just shake it off.
Sorry...
Topics: Celebrity, Taylor Swift, Education, US News
Ben Thompson