Swifties volunteer as teaching assistants for Taylor Swift course amid high demand at Harvard University
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Taylor Swift’s musical and cultural dominance has launched a wave of academic interest at top universities nationwide. But no school has felt the explosive impact quite like Harvard recently.
English professor Stephanie Burt proposed a spring course analyzing the pop icon’s songwriting and career only to be overwhelmed by crashing enrollment demand from hundreds of impassioned Harvard Swifties.
Her call for teaching assistants to help manage ballooning interest quickly accumulated eager responses from fans and qualified teachers alike, as per Daily Mail.
Harvard University is looking for additional teaching assistants for its Taylor Swift course due to high demand. pic.twitter.com/QJKEhBCQbv
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) January 6, 2024
Harvard professor Stephanie Burt overwhelmed by demand for Taylor Swift course
A new Harvard University course on Taylor Swift has proven so immensely popular that the professor teaching it has desperately called for more assistants to keep up with ballooning demand.
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English professor Stephanie Burt saw nearly 300 students enroll in her 'Taylor Swift and Her World' class for the 2024 spring term, with the waitlist continuing to grow. She took to social media on Wednesday, January 3, pleading for help, saying the surge had overwhelmed her limited resources.
“Our Taylor Swift course at Harvard is so popular that we need additional teaching assistants,” Burt posted on X. “If you live in the Boston/Providence metro, love Tay, & have qualifications or experience to teach a writing intensive college course, my DMs are open.”
She was quickly inundated with eager responses from qualified teachers and passionate fans. Burt’s is just one of many Swift-themed classes launched recently at universities across the country catering to the global obsession with the 34-year-old music icon.
Burt was already an ardent admirer of Swift’s work before proposing the lecture course examining her vast catalog. She told NBC News it was the first chance in her distinguished Harvard career to dedicate academic resources to studying one of her favorite artists.
According to the course overview, students will dive deep into Swift’s hits, rarities, and even re-recorded tracks while considering songwriting as a unique artistic form. Discussion topics range from queer subtext in her lyrics to the concept of Swiftonomics and her influence on economies.
Harvard's course on Taylor Swift covers songwriting, fan culture, and economics
The Swiftonomics phenomenon refers to the singer’s infectious economic impact from stratospheric merchandise sales, record-breaking tours, and blockbuster music ownership changes.
For example, frantic demand for Swift's 'Eras Tour' concert tickets overwhelmed Ticketmaster systems and sent the fan community into an uproar. But remarkably, instead of dampening enthusiasm, the fiasco only strengthened Swifties’ dedication.
Many have spent up to $20,000 per ticket on the singer’s record-setting 'Eras Tour,' which has grossed over $5 billion globally. Fans shell out thousands more on travel, hotels, food, and custom outfits in fervent anticipation of their concert highlight.
This consumer frenzy has benefited local economies everywhere Swift plays. It demonstrates her unique musical magnetism, which Harvard students will explore firsthand.
Her shrewd handling of music ownership has also created phenomenal personal wealth. By re-recording earlier albums to regain control of her master recordings, Swift likely earns over $8.5 million a month in streaming royalties.
Considering the singer’s net worth now tops $1 billion, analyzing the business, legal, and fan dynamics enabling her success promises Harvard students insight into astonishing heights of music industry clout.
Swifties exhilarated upon discovering Harvard's quest for teaching assistants
Swifties expressed their exhilaration upon discovering Harvard's quest for teaching assistants for its course on Swift. One fan on X exclaimed, "I will be signing up to teach!", while another expressed, "This makes me kinda wanna go there."
Another Swift enthusiast volunteered eagerly, stating, "I volunteer as tribute." "Seems about right," remarked another individual. Celebrating the initiative, a supporter chimed in, saying, "That's impressive... this is fun." Meanwhile, an eager candidate simply exclaimed, "Hire me!"
Harvard's initiative isn't a standalone case. Various universities across the nation have embraced the Swift phenomenon, integrating courses exploring her influence. Institutions like New York University, Berklee College of Music, University of Texas-Austin, and Texas Tech University have all joined the trend, offering courses delving into Swift's cultural impact.
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