Taylor Swift fans headed to the University of Texas are in for a real treat this fall. There's a special new class coming to campus for first-year undergraduates that almost sounds too good to be true. It's a deep dive into Swift and her music, specifically for the liberal arts honors program.
English professor Elizabeth Scala will lead students through Swift's catalog of songs in the new course titled 'Literary Contests and Contexts — The Taylor Swift Songbook.' The UT Department of English shared news of the course on their Facebook and how diving into Swift's songs would help students with their research methods in songwriting.
"A brand new course for Fall 2022 taught by Dr. Elizabeth Scala provides an introduction to literary studies and research methods that uses the songwriting of @taylorswift as the basis for teaching a wide range of skills. Let's turn that Easter Egg hunting and reading in detail to academic purposes!"
Longtime Swift fans know that she's gained a reputation for the Easter Eggs she leaves in her songs. Following each new album and song release, fans quickly dive into the lyrics to see which famous ex or celebrity pal she's referencing in her music. A couple of examples include using the names of longtime friend Blake Lively's children or referencing the scarf she left at Jake Gyllenhaal's sister's house during their brief relationship. Elizabeth Scala was recently introduced to Swift's music by her daughter after the 2021 release of Red (Taylor's Version). Scala told the American-Statesman that Swift is an amazing writer with an exceptional ability to connect with her fans through her music, which is why she'll be the focus of the class.
"Swift is an intelligent and talented songwriter, and her writing skills are what made me focus on her," Scala told the American-Statesman. "For me, it's all about form (not just or even primarily about content). We will study Swift's songs as poems and literary structures."
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