This semester some Michigan State University students are taking an in-depth look at one of the world’s most recognizable “Showgirls”: Taylor Swift.
According to MSU’s Center for Integrative Studies in Social Science, assistant professor Emily Muhich is leading ISS 210 Society and the Individual: The Taylor Swift Phenomenon, which will look at gender and historical context, among other topics.
“I previously taught an American Pop Culture section of ISS 210 (which I’m also teaching again this semester) so when a student requested a class focused on Taylor Swift, our Director Dr. Brandy Ellison asked if I would be interested in teaching it,” Muhich said. “I like Taylor Swift’s music but am not necessarily a ‘Swiftie,’ but the great thing about ISS courses is that we are applying interdisciplinary integration tools — so we can work with many different topics.”
Taylor Swift, a 14-Grammy Award winning artist who headlined the most profitable global tour ever, The Eras Tour, is the main case study for students to understand how pop culture, the economy, politics, the environment, history and more have been influenced by the star’s music career.
The class coincides with the debut of Taylor Swift’s newest album “The Life of a Showgirl,” which is set to be released Friday, Oct. 3.
“One of the fun parts is that we know there is a new album coming (Life of a Showgirl), so we will get to apply our interdisciplinary analysis to the album (and the media reaction!) right away,” Muhich said. “We even got to start the semester on an auspicious note when Taylor Swift announced her engagement to Travis Kelce about two hours before our very first class period started — surely a good sign for the semester!”
Here’s more on MSU’s new course on the social sciences with Taylor Swift.
What is Michigan State University’s class about Taylor Swift about?
The course, ISS 210 Society and the Individual: The Taylor Swift Phenomenon, includes about 215 students exploring topics like fandom, bias, parasocial relationships, gender, and how and why Taylor Swift’s music has impacted society and created a worldwide fanbase known as “Swifties.”
The course hopes to build students’ abilities to apply critical thinking to other contexts.
When does Taylor Swift’s album ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ drop in Michigan?
“The Life of a Showgirl” is Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album and includes 12 tracks with the song “The Life of a Showgirl,” featuring Sabrina Carpenter. The album will be released at midnight Friday, Oct. 3, E.T. on Spotify and Apple Music — fans have the option to pre-save the album on both platforms.
Numerous movie theaters across Michigan are planning events on Friday featuring the mini documentary that accompanies the album launch.
Starting on Oct. 3, the same day her new album “The Life of a Showgirl” drops, “Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl” will hit movie screens in thousands of theaters across the country and will feature the premiere of the first music video from the new album, “The Fate of Ophelia.” All tickets are $12.
Contact Sarah Moore @ smoore@lsj.com
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Taylor Swift hits the academic stage. How an MSU social science course features singer
Reporting by Sarah Moore, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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