Harvard is teaching a course on…Taylor Swift? Yes! Harvard University, the one in Cambridge, Massachusetts has a new course about T-Swizzle whose Eras Tour has earned over 1 billion dollars so far. And whose latest album just broke multiple streaming records within hours of its release. Really, no Really!

Our initial reaction was to poo-poo the Harvard course because we happen to be congenital born poo-poo-ers. But when we investigated the course syllabus, we found it fascinating, and an easy A it’s not.

Jason and Peter have enlisted the talents of Professor Stephanie Burt -who teaches the Taylor Swift course at Harvard - to not only discuss her class, but to also take a closer look at the woman, her music, the music industry she has upended and her rabid fan base, the Swifties.

Professor Stephanie Burt is the Donald and Catherine Loker Professor of English at Harvard University and has published various collections of poetry and a large amount of literary criticism and research. The New York Times has called Professor Burt "one of the most influential poetry critics of her generation".

You’ll also hear how Jason and Peter gave Taylor a job, way back in the day. Really, no Really!

IN THIS EPISODE:

• How Prof. Burt sold Harvard’s Administration on doing a Taylor Swift course.
• Is Taylor Swift just about skewering her x-boyfriends?
• Do you have a Hermeneutic Friendship with Taylor? And what does that even mean?
• Does Taylor use “lects”? And what does that even mean?
• How Swift’s social media consciously builds and deepens community with her fans.
• Taylor Swift’s success: amazing business acumen or smart consultants?
• The songs a Swift novice should listen to first.

GoogleHEIM: Quiz: Who sung it - Taylor Swift or the Sex Pistols?

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FOLLOW PROFESSOR BURT:
X: @accommodatingly

BlueSky Social: @notquitehydepark.bsky.social

Podcast: teamupmoves.com

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