WICHITA, Kansas — The University of Kansas will host a speaker series this fall that explores topics through the lens of pop superstar Taylor Swift.
The six-part series highlights KU faculty members from various departments, including sociology, political science, music and economics.
It will also feature Stephanie Burt, a poet, literary critic and English professor at Harvard University who teaches a course called “Taylor Swift and Her World.”
All events will take place on the Lawrence campus and are open to the public.
Misty Heggeness, an associate professor of economics at KU, helped organize the series. She said Swift’s journey to stardom and her business strategies offer valuable lessons.
“It’s fun to use these pop culture moments as a learning tool on campus,” she said. “It’s a great way to engage students and get them interested in topics they might not have been interested in before.”
Over the past few years, universities across the country, including Stanford and Berkeley, have started offering courses inspired by Swift and her music catalog.
At Colorado State University, a three-credit course titled “Spanish for Swifty Purposes (Taylor’s Version)” aims to help students analyze and translate Swift’s lyrics and compare them to the work of Spanish artists.
Heggeness and her colleagues are developing a multi-disciplinary course — its working title is “Taylor Swift 101” — that could launch at KU next year. She said the new speaker series will offer a sneak peek at what that course might cover.
“We want to provide engaging content for students outside of the classroom that keeps them interested and keeps their brains thinking and chugging along,” Heggeness said. “Any time you can merge academic theory with pop culture, that’s a win-win.”
The speaker series begins Wednesday. Here’s the complete rundown:
“Watching from the Stands: Addressing Media Stereotypes Within the Taylor Swift-Sports Ecosystem,” with Steve Bien-Aime, assistant professor of journalism; 4:30-5:30 p.m. Sept. 18, 100 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
“Hits Different: Why Taylor Swift Writes Such Strong Songs,” with Stephanie Burt, poet, essayist, critic and English professor, Harvard University; 3:30-4:30 p.m. Sept. 30, Watson Library 3 West.
“Parasocial Affordances and the Taylor Swift Fandom,” with Brian Donovan, professor of sociology; 4:30-5:30 p.m. Oct. 17, 100 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
“SWIFTYNOMICS: Women in Today’s Economy,” with Misty Heggeness, associate professor of economics and public affairs; 4:30-5:30 p.m. Oct. 30, 100 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
“What Are You Hearing? Focused Music Analysis for Non-Musicians,” with Kerry Marsh, director of Jazz Singers and Vocal Jazz Lab, KU School of Music; 4:30-5:30 p.m. Nov. 13, 100 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
“Sexy Baby, Monster on a Hill, or Something Else? Using the Eras Tour to Understand the Effects of Culture on Public Opinion,” with Clayton Webb, associate professor of political science, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Dec. 12, 100 Stauffer-Flint Hall.
Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.
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