Last updated on April 25, 2025
By: Bridget Cullen
Writer
This is the question asked in a recent trend across social media. And this is how it goes—an unknowing participant will be asked to identify a quote as being from either Shakespeare’s writings or Taylor Swift’s lyrics. The subjects of the videos go in with a smile of confidence, but when falsely identifying “I’d meet you where the spirit meets the bones, in a faith-forgotten land,” as a work of Shakespeare’s, are left stumped.
When the news came out that universities like Harvard, Berkley, and Duke are now offering courses examining Taylor Swift, there were strong reactions. This criticism did not exclude that of Vol State’s own course titled: “American Pop Culture- Taylor Swift,” which began this semester. The course focuses on examining the cultural phenomenon of Taylor Swift through the span of her career and creative work. Upon its announcement, the class faced criticism for seemingly pandering to young people and being generally unserious.
Vol State’s own Dean of Humanities, Dr. Erin Mann, had this to say on the criticism: “The implication, of course, is that studying pop culture in and of itself is un-academic. It’s a bubble gum subject, according to people who still imagine college as a place where students should go to be confused about the structure of organophosphate compounds and to think big thoughts about epistemology, cosmology, sociology, or whatever other -ology they might encounter.” Dr. Mann makes the argument that pandering is, in fact, a very smart way to get a younger generation to engage in thoughtful analysis of lyrics, media narratives, and pop culture as it shapes us all.
Similarly, the instructor of the course, Professor Jamie Gorczyca, contests that the skills used in analyzing Swift’s lyrics are the same as those used in deconstructing poetry. “To the misinformed critics,” She says, “I hope they’re open to understanding that this class is about more than Taylor Swift. It’s about cultural analysis through a subject that captures students’ interest.” From day one, Professor Gorczyca made clear to students that the class is not a fan club devoted to gossiping about Swifts’ romantic partners. It is also not one that puts Swift on a pedestal.
Opinions about Taylor Swift are generally polarized, with most swaying either staunchly positively or negatively. There is the expectation of a few eye rolls at even the mention of her name. But love it or hate it, she is a large figure in pop culture, and many facets of her career can be learned from, including fandom culture, branding, tour economics, songwriting, and directing, to name a few. The same could be done for other music stars or pop culture figures.
However, what makes Swift’s career an interesting lens to study is her dominance in culture at the moment. There is a relatability aspect to her lyrics and branding that most people of college age can identify with, which cannot always be said in the case of Shakespeare or Dickinson, creating a clearer avenue for younger people to analyze writing and appreciate it. All creative works are equally important in the eyes of analysis and should not be pitted against each other. Similarly, just because Swift’s lyrics may be easier to understand than that of a passage from Macbeth does not make its contents shallow or its dissection unmeritable. There can be compromise. Begin with Evermore and work your way up to Hamlet.
But as far as addressing the nay-sayers, Professor Gorczyca had this to say: “…those determined to belittle [the class] and still think it’s cool to hate Taylor Swift, they probably won’t bother reading this anyway. To them, I simply say, ‘Haters gonna hate, hate, hate.'”
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