University in Belgium introduces Taylor Swift-inspired course. Will you sign up? | Trending
Taylor Swift’s lyrical genius is again gaining academic recognition as Ghent University in Belgium launched a literature course centred around the literary prowess of the singer’s discography. The course will explore topics such as literary feminism, ecocriticism, fan studies, and more.(AP) The course, “Literature: Taylor’s Version,” curated assant professor Elly McCausland will be available to students this fall. According to Professor McCausland, she was inspired to launch this particular course after noticing parallels between Swift’s lyrics and the English literature she had long studied. “What I want to do is show students that although these texts might seem inaccessible, they can be accessible if we look at them from a slightly different angle,” she told The Guardian. She added, “So, Shakespeare, in some way, is actually addressing a lot of the same questions as Taylor Swift is today, which seems crazy. But he is.” The course will explore topics such as literary feminism, ecocriticism, fan studies, and more. According to a report CNN, the syllabus notes that “Swift makes frequent allusions to canonical literary texts in her music,” which will be used as a springboard to explore its literary roots. Regration for this course is open to all, irrespective of whether one is a fan of the singer or not. The course urges participants to evaluate Taylor Swift as an art and writer critically. The course’s premise is to utilize the singer’s music as an entry point into a realm of literature that might have significantly influenced her work. “I’ve never had so many emails from excited students asking if they can take the course. And actually non-students as well, people who are not part of the University and who want to participate in some way,” McCausland told the Guardian. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Arfa Javaid is a journal working with the Hindustan Times’ Delhi team. She covers trending topics, human interest stories, and viral content online. …view detail
