celeb news Harvard can't handle demand for Taylor Swift course, desperate for more teachers

[PoisonedIvy]

4 minutes ago, Jay07 said:

Oh please, they're not sitting there analysing her "poems" english literature students would be belly laughing at the spelling is fun songstress. It's probably a marketing case study in how to weaponize the insecurities of lonely, socially awkward teenagers to make them buy 20 different vinyl variants and limited time remixes.

You cannot see the forest for the trees.

[KatyPrismSpirit]

1 minute ago, PoisonedIvy said:

1. Taylor has made significant contributions to human understanding, all artists with massive worldwide success do. Whether you enjoy the art or not is irrelevant, but the art is impacting millions upon millions of people at this point.

 

2. the course is not “solely” focused on Taylor she is just the skeleton they will branch off of for the curriculum. 
 

3. you’re entitled to think that but at the end of the day, Taylor is the most significant artist of this century whether some people agree or not. She is going to be dissected for decades if not centuries to come, some will enjoy her work, some will not, and some will remain neutral; all of that is irrelevant in the pursuit of knowledge. 

I get what you're saying and I'm not denying that Taylor makes contributions to today's world (obviously not on Shakesphere's or Hawking's levels but that aside). Just because someone impacts millions of people doesn't mean that it should have it's own Academic course. It's neccessary to distinguish personal enjoyment and academic significance... Like let's just keep it real. While she may influence culture, a comprehensive university course should delve into subjects with broader and deeper intellectual content. Not repeat the same stuff ATRL talks about everyday. 

 

Like what is there to disect. Will students get a multiple choice quiz to guess if reputation did 1.2M or 1.1M first week? And for your second point, it doens't make sense. The study of an artist like Taylor Swift could be integrated into a broader cultural or media studies context to provide a more well-rounded educational approach, but they clearly state it's a "Taylor Swift" course.

[Bubble Tea]

What careers do these people taking this course expect to come out with?

 

I actually did a media studies popular music culture paper at university and I can assure you it has never been applicable other than schooling *boops* on gayTRL. 

[Escape]

The fumes in here when we all know y'all would be living if it was your fave instead.

[Jay07]

8 minutes ago, PoisonedIvy said:

You cannot see the forest for the trees.

Is there a course on Bob Dylan? Joni Mitchell? Bruce ******* Springsteen? The most eminent and celebrated "poets" in popular music? You think they made a course on Taylor Swift because her sexy baby "poems" are so impressive? They made one because she knows how to dupe people out of their money so effectively and you actually praise her for it!

[KatyPrismSpirit]

1 minute ago, Tropical said:

What careers do these people taking this course expect to come out with?

i mean its just one course. Its probably an elective you can choose during a marketing bachelor's. But it's still kind of a useless course if anything. like other users said, probably easy points.

[PoisonedIvy]

1 minute ago, Jay07 said:

Is there a course on Bob Dylan? Joni Mitchell? Bruce ******* Springsteen? The most eminent and celebrated "poets" in popular music? You think they made a course on Taylor Swift because her sexy baby "poems" are so impressive? They made one because she knows how to dupe people out of their money so effectively and you actually praise her for it!

“Hatred is blind; rage carries you away; and he who pours out vengeance runs the risk of tasting a bitter draught.”

 

When your heart is pure and your spirit receptive, then we can attempt to discuss this. Otherwise I’m not wasting my breath, you’ve made up your mind 

 

[Brooklyn Baby]

The Katy stan fuming in every Taylor thread will always send

[Elusive Chanteuse]

Madonna and Beyonce's classes made sense but not hers if its not lyric analysis or somethng. Confused.

 

[tost1]

What do you have to have in you CV for this job? 

[PoisonedIvy]

8 minutes ago, KatyPrismSpirit said:

I get what you're saying and I'm not denying that Taylor makes contributions to today's world (obviously not on Shakesphere's or Hawking's levels but that aside). Just because someone impacts millions of people doesn't mean that it should have it's own Academic course. It's neccessary to distinguish personal enjoyment and academic significance... Like let's just keep it real. While she may influence culture, a comprehensive university course should delve into subjects with broader and deeper intellectual content. Not repeat the same stuff ATRL talks about everyday. 

 

Like what is there to disect. Will students get a multiple choice quiz to guess if reputation did 1.2M or 1.1M first week? And for your second point, it doens't make sense. The study of an artist like Taylor Swift could be integrated into a broader cultural or media studies context to provide a more well-rounded educational approach, but they clearly state it's a "Taylor Swift" course.

I think those of you that don’t enjoy Taylor’s discography are incapable of seeing past the surface. Taylor’s relevance is not her sales, it’s the universe behind the music. The interconnected web of growth, love, loss and life. The arcs that span across albums, the recurring characters, the redemptions of former antagonists in her music, the reconciliations and the falling outs. Most other artists work is typically contained within the universe of its album, but Taylor’s music has throughlines, prequels, sequels, reboots,  it’s like a cinematic universe of its own. Instead of each album being an individual piece of art, it’s like each album is an installment in a franchise I.E. the Harry Potter books all building upon an overarching story. Most other artists don’t do that. That’s Taylor’s true appeal. I’m 

[The Music Industry]

10 minutes ago, almanac said:

The fumes in here when we all know y'all would be living if it was your fave instead.

This

[awong918]

8 minutes ago, Tropical said:

What careers do these people taking this course expect to come out with?

 

I actually did a media studies popular music culture paper at university and I can assure you it has never been applicable other than schooling *boops* on gayTRL. 

It's probably just an elective option. 99% of them are useless and people just pick the easiest and/or most interesting one.

[Lille]

"What career comes out of taking this class?"

 

It's literally an elective, everyone has to take classes unrelated to their major to graduate with a BS/BA. Do y'all really not have a basic understanding of how the Academic degree system works?

[Rotunda]

Every year a college goes viral for having a course with a fun title that covers a pop culture phenomenon alongside other texts on their syllabus, and every year haters foam at the mouth on here cause y’all think there’s a whole class being taught that’s solely devoted to Taylor, Beyoncé, etc. 

 

Act like you’ve been somewhere before.

Edited January 6 by Rotunda

[Cain]

I don’t like Taylor but… studying can be fun, you can take fun courses… for fun

 

Not everyone wants to have a miserable existence in accounting 

[G.U.Y_Del_Rey]

Hire me @HarvardUniversity

[Cameltoe Chariot]

Truly a reverse Hunger Games experience! People clamouring for a course at an ivy league school about the life and times of a billionaire, while we're living through a global climate crisis and multiple genocides, teetering on the edge of World War III!

 

[OnlyManInTheWorld]

Americans wanting to learn how to spell

[Cleanromantic]

25 minutes ago, PoisonedIvy said:

I think those of you that don’t enjoy Taylor’s discography are incapable of seeing past the surface. Taylor’s relevance is not her sales, it’s the universe behind the music. The interconnected web of growth, love, loss and life. The arcs that span across albums, the recurring characters, the redemptions of former antagonists in her music, the reconciliations and the falling outs. Most other artists work is typically contained within the universe of its album, but Taylor’s music has throughlines, prequels, sequels, reboots,  it’s like a cinematic universe of its own. Instead of each album being an individual piece of art, it’s like each album is an installment in a franchise I.E. the Harry Potter books all building upon an overarching story. Most other artists don’t do that. That’s Taylor’s true appeal. I’m 

You're arguing with people that think the dated electropop of the early 2010s is the pinnacle of artistry. ATRL is just out of touch with reality and what artists people actually respect and which discographies are held in higher regards. 

 

Op: The education industry . Swift, T, Ph.D

[WEEKND]

37 minutes ago, PoisonedIvy said:

“Hatred is blind; rage carries you away; and he who pours out vengeance runs the risk of tasting a bitter draught.”

 

When your heart is pure and your spirit receptive, then we can attempt to discuss this. Otherwise I’m not wasting my breath, you’ve made up your mind 

 

You’re so sweet ❤️😂😂

[PoisonedIvy]

6 minutes ago, Cleanromantic said:

You're arguing with people that think the dated electropop of the early 2010s is the pinnacle of artistry. ATRL is just out of touch with reality and what artists people actually respect and which discographies are held in higher regards. 

 

Op: The education industry . Swift, T, Ph.D

Yeah, it’s like trying to reason with a toddler.  

 

For any neutral parties,

 

The connections/evolutions/dynamic relationships between:

Red —> Daylight —> Maroon

Fifteen —> happiness

invisible string —> tolerate it

Dear John —> Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve

Cornelia Street —> You’re Losing Me

cardigan/august/betty

& You’re On Your Own Kid to her career

 

Are all great starting points of realizing how expansive the emotional epic of Taylor Swift’s catalogue truly is. Not just within their own album’s universe like teenage love triangle of folklore, but across albums that are sometimes spread out by even more than a decade.

Edited January 6 by PoisonedIvy

[Rotunda]

40 minutes ago, Tropical said:

What careers do these people taking this course expect to come out with?

 

I actually did a media studies popular music culture paper at university and I can assure you it has never been applicable other than schooling *boops* on gayTRL. 

The point of a liberal arts education is not just to be prepared for a specific career, but to be cultured enough to think critically and communicate effectively about a variety of subjects. 
 

So many of the debates that we deal with everyday are about Culture Wars, so there’s a value to being able to critically engage and discuss cultural phenomena. 
 

Sometimes the most random topics can be used to jump start really interesting conversations. I once had to read a book about the history of hair removal that initiated some interesting discussion about United States’ torture practices at Guantanamo Bay (I learned through that book that forced shaving, and Christina Aguilera music, had been used to torture detainees at Guantanamo Bay).

[Arrows]

1 hour ago, KatyPrismSpirit said:

making entire university courses on celebrities is so stupid and useless. 

What about artists, entrepreneurs and poets? Shakespeare is a “celebrity” too, you know

[OrgVisual]

Probably the easiest class to have an A+ for ATRL members