Duke University Introduces Course on Taylor Swift Discography as Cultural Text

Taylor Swift's tunes at Duke University are labeled no longer just for play lists and concert stages but now in class. A new course titled Writing 101.46: Taylor's Version makes pop icon Taylor Swift's discography an acceptable topic of study.

The course, taught and cultivated by Lisa Andres, employs Swift's "Eras" as a model of critical analysis, cultural critique, and narrative criticism. Stuart Hall's theory of encoding and decoding is employed to teach students via which mass media messages are regarded as being constructed, interpreted, and re-formulated by viewers. Swift's discs and evolving public image are rich soil upon which this exercise can be conducted.

"Taylor Swift provides a unique case study of artistry, media, and fandom interfacing with power. Through her music, students can read how cultural meaning is produced, disseminated, and disputed," Andres said.

Assignments are not the usual essays. Students do weekly lyrical deep-dives, Swift's narrative strategies deconstruction, and media narratives analysis. To put the icing on the cake, they create podcast-like projects that balance scholarly discipline and creative flair.

Swift's life—roots in country to pop stratosphere global dominion—provides varied material for analysis. Her struggles over music ownership, rerecorded albums, and image management fit into larger arguments around gender, power, and authorship in popular culture.

The class also takes advantage of Swift's immense cultural footprint.The classroom offers a venue to investigate fandom as a cultural force, as her fans—the "Swifties"—set online trends, ticketing sites, and even political discourse.

"It's not just about Taylor Swift—it's about learning how stories, whether in music or media, shape our lives," explained one student.The student response has been enthusiastic, with students describing the course as a refreshing break from conventional course work. 

By turning chart-topping anthems into texts for critique, Duke is a part of a growing roster of schools—from Stanford to NYU—that are introducing Swift's work into the academy. Writing 101.46: Taylor's Version points to how the boundaries between pop culture and scholarship remain erased.