There's no denying the cultural impact of Taylor Swift — Kansas City's semi-resident pop star — over the last few years.
She's breaking records by the handful in her music career. Her attendance at Chiefs games and relationship with tight end Travis Kelce has been attributed to spikes in NFL viewership. And when the Eras Tour comes to town, it brings an economic bump with it.
It's the kind of impact that gets college courses modeled after it — which, of course, it has. The University of Kansas is among a number of schools offering classes based on Swif.
And now, researchers at KU have organized a multidisciplinary speaker series themed after Swift.
Throughout the six-lecture series, professors and researchers will explore concepts of journalism, economics, sociology, public opinion, music and literature through the lens of Swift's music and cultural footprint. It may seem silly and fun, but professors say it helps students retain academic ideas.
"I think that's the thing we want to take away — is that pop culture is not something that's a set aside. It helps shape our wider society," said Steve Bien-Aimé, assistant professor of journalism at the University of Kansas.
- Misty Heggeness, associate professor of economics and public affairs at the University of Kansas
- Steve Bien-Aimé, assistant professor of journalism in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at KU
