Love Taylor Swift and her thoughtful lyrics? Want to check off a Group A: Arts & Humanities breadth requirement? Need a fun 3-credit online asynchronous course for first summer session*?
Check out ENGL151-192: Studies in Popular Fiction – TAYLOR SWIFT AND/AS LITERATURE
First Summer Session* 6/9/25 – 7/11/25, online asynchronous, enrollment happening now
Explore the connections between literature and pop music through the lens of Taylor Swift’s music. Swift is known for the quality of her lyrics, her powerful bridges, and deep themes, and her fans devote tremendous effort to analyzing her work in a number of ways. In this class, we will explore various analytical approaches common to the study of literature, using her lyrics as our primary texts. We will also dive into classic works across genres and time periods from English literary tradition in order to better understand and appreciate Swift’s artistry. By comparing classic literature with modern pop songs, we will refine our skills in interpretation, analysis, and evaluation, gaining fresh insights into poetry, song, and storytelling across generations and mediums. This is an online, asynchronous course. Students will work independently and collaboratively to complete the course assignments and will be required to use multiple generative AI tools and critically assess their quality.
