The University of Philippines, one of the country’s most prestigious universities, is offering a new media course that involves the study of American pop sensation, Taylor Swift.
According to the institution’s webpage, the elective course is entitled “Celebrity Studies: Taylor Swift in Focus” and will be taught by associate professor Cherish Aileen, who confesses to being a Swiftie.
“We’re going to treat Taylor Swift as a celebrity, which means we’re going to look at her from the lens of various ways of thinking such as the intersection of sex, gender, and class,” the academic told Reuters.
Some of the issues that will be explored in the course include Swift’s influence in raising awareness of political issues such as the Anti-Terror Bill in the Philippines.
[See more: These were the best selling musical artists of 2023]
The course has been enthusiastically received, with more than 300 students enrolling. One student who spoke to Reuters said that he hoped the course would allow him to see how the pop star was using her clout to address contemporary social issues in an “impactful” manner.
Although the University of Philippines is the first tertiary institution in the country to offer such a course, top American universities, including Harvard and the University of South Carolina, have also made headlines with studies on Swift.
According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, Taylor Swift was the best-selling artist of 2023.
Her current Eras Tour is attracting considerable media attention due to its expected massive sales, projected to exceed US$2 billion.
