Belgium's Ghent University is introducing a literature course focusing on the literary value of Taylor Swift's music.
The course, "Literature: Taylor's Version," named after the pop icon's re-recorded albums, will be open to students this fall and curated by Assistant Professor Elly McCausland, according to The Guardian.
"I've never had so many emails from excited students asking if they can take the course," said McCausland. "And actually non-students as well, people who are not part of the university and who want to participate in some way."
After noticing striking parallels between Taylor Swift's lyrics and the English literature she had extensively studied, McCausland proposed an elective course centered on Swift's work.
McCausland recognized resemblances between Swift's song "The Great War" and Sylvia Plath's portrayal of war-related anguish in the poem "Daddy," as well as Swift's song "Mad Woman," which tells the story of patriarchy and mental health, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper," which shares a similar theme.
With this in mind, McCausland wondered why these similarities were overlooked
Using Swift's work as a starting point, the course will delve into a wide range of subjects, spanning from writings of the 14th century to Margaret Atwood's interpretation of "The Tempest."
"What I want to do is show students that although these texts might seem inaccessible, they can be accessible if we look at them from a slightly different angle," McCausland explained. "So, Shakespeare, in some way, is actually addressing a lot of the same questions as Taylor Swift is today, which seems crazy. But he is."
Throughout the semester, students who sign up for the course will have their progress evaluated through a "reflection report," which they can even present in the form of a song, according to CNN. Additionally, they will be required to compose a 4,000-word essay analyzing the significance of one of the assigned texts within the literary canon.
"I'll be delighted with everything that happens during this course," McCausland said. "I'm really excited to see what the students come up with."