13 Taylor Swift courses analyze Travis Kelce romance, sell merchandise, study 'evolving life lessons'
This fall, students at elite institutions can enroll in Taylor Swift courses.
As students head back to campus this fall, some will wrestle with chemistry equations or economics charts. Others will analyze Taylor Swift lyrics for a grade.
The pop star made headlines this week with her engagement, which even prompted a University of Tennessee, Knoxville professor to cancel class so students could “process” the news.
Next on tour, Swift is taking over college syllabi. Here are 13 Taylor Swift courses offered at colleges and universities (because “Swifties” know 13 is her lucky number, of course):
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati, Travis Kelce’s alma mater, will offer “Philosophy (Taylor’s Version)” this fall. Instead of Plato or Aristotle, students will wrestle with life’s big philosophical questions “through the art and life of Taylor Swift.” The professor even created merchandise for students to purchase, inspired by Swift’s Eras Tour merch.
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas offers multiple courses for Swifties. Among them is “TS 101: The Academic Lore of Taylor Swift,” an undergraduate Common Core course expected to run in Fall 2025. Students can also enroll in “The Sociology of Taylor Swift” or “Decoding Taylor Swift: Songcraft, Storytelling, and Branding,” for an exploration of her artistry and music industry strategies.
Students can even analyze the Kelce-Swift romance in the course “From Marilyn & Joe to Taylor & Travis: Media Coverage of Celebrity-Athlete Relationships.”
University of South Florida
This fall, the University of South Florida will offer a course called “Taylor Swift’s Eras” with a focus on race and gender. The course claims to study American and international cultures through film and “cultural artifacts,” embedding Swift into a broader progressive curriculum.
University of Florida
The University of Florida’s Honors Program offered the course “Taylor Swift & Art” in the spring. Course assignments included listening to a 13-song Spotify playlist, analyzing artwork and connecting it to a Taylor Swift song, and creating an illustrated lyric book.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Last fall, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville offered the course “Gender, Culture, and Media (Taylor’s Version)” through its Women, Gender, and Sexuality program.
“Make your friendship bracelets and enroll,” the course description reads. “We’ll study her songs, online activities, music videos, and documentaries as well as how she is understood and discussed by fans, anti-fans, and the media.”
Campus Reform previously reported the course, which is a semester-long deep dive into “fan culture, celebrity culture, girlhood, music industry ethics, marketing and promotional strategies, and social media theory, along with race, sexuality, and feminism.”
Harvard University
Harvard University joined the frenzy with a course titled “Taylor Swift and Her World.” Students are expected to analyze songwriting, “white texts,” and “queer subtexts,” among other identity-focused concepts. The course treats Swift’s discography as literature and her fandom as a sociological phenomenon.
University of Delaware
This past summer, the University of Delaware offered the English course “Taylor Swift and/As Literature,” a course encouraging students to analyze Swift’s lyrics in place of novels.
“In this class, we will explore various analytical approaches common to the study of literature, using her lyrics as our primary texts,” the course description reads.
Instead of a traditional 12-week class, students can take this 4-week course online to receive three credits and are encouraged to use artificial intelligence for assignments.
American University
Last fall, American University offered a “Swiftonomics” course through its economics department. The course examined Swift’s impact on tourism and job creation while addressing themes like “corruption and entertainment monopolies.” Students explored feminist concepts, including “how Taylor Swift, as a female, is viewed from business and popular culture perspectives.”
Duke University
This past spring, Duke University’s writing program offered “Writing 101 Taylor’s Version.” Through “weekly readings and album streamings” students will learn “evolving life lessons” from Swift and will end the semester with a capstone podcast project.
“Prior knowledge of Taylor Swift is not required; all levels of Swifties are welcome,” the course description reads.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill offered the course “Taylor Swift Music as Culture” last fall, which lets students share Eras Tour stories and social media content during class.
“This course is not purely lecture-based…students are invited to share their knowledge and personal experiences related to the Swiftie community. Whether it be something from social media fan culture or a trip to the coveted Eras Tour, anything is welcomed,” an article published on UNC’s website states.
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