(KRON) — “Are you ready for it?” University of California Berkeley students will have the option to enroll in a Taylor Swift course in 2024. Students will learn about how the pop star amassed a devoted fanbase, built a wildly attractive brand, and dominated the music industry.
The course’s syllabus states, “fall down a rabbit hole of what has led to Taylor Swift’s prolific success as a songwriter, businesswoman, and creative influence. Swift’s ability to connect with listeners is as unparalleled. Through lyricism, branding, and craft, we’ll explore how art and authenticity create enduring value and a viable enterprise. We’ll analyze performance and interview clips, discuss media portrayal and perceptions, and develop working definitions of Swift’s role in society—and yours. We’ll put her under scrutiny, but handle it beautifully.”
The course, titled “Artistry & Entrepreneurship: Taylor’s Version,” is being offered through the university’s Haas School of Business.
The songwriter’s hit-making lyrics encourage fans to be their authentic selves. Sofia Lendahl, the course’s lead facilitator, is a self-proclaimed “nerd like Taylor” who plays the guitar and is majoring in Data Science.
The course’s founder, Crystal Haryanto, is a UC Berkeley Alumni Scholar Leadership Award recipient who graduated in the spring. “At her day job, she’s an analyst at an economic consulting firm. In her midnights, she’s Taylor Swift’s altar ego,” Haryanto’s biography states. Haryanto’s favorite Swift album is “Speak Now,” while her co-instructor favors “evermore.”
Swift performed one of the biggest concerts of the year at a sold-out Levi’s Stadium in July. “The Eras Tour” showcased the evolution of Swift as a musical artist over the years.
