Oxford College of Emory University launched a new sociology course this fall focusing on singing icon Taylor Swift.
“As a sociologist, I’m interested in all things pop culture,” says Devon Goss, assistant professor of sociology at Oxford who is leading the new course. “I’m definitely a Swiftie, and I’ve been following this massive hype around Taylor. I just kept seeing Taylor Swift being tied to a lot of things that we study and think about in society.”
The course, “Sociology: Taylor’s Version,” aims to examine social processes, identities and institutions through Taylor Swift’s reputation. It explores various eras of Swift’s career, from being a teen country star to a cultural music and performing phenomenon.
Offered as part of the Oxford College Discovery Seminar Series, from which each incoming Oxford student must choose a course. Discovery seminars are introductory-level classes that help students become familiar with college and develop a relationship with a faculty member who will later become their advisor. Students from all majors are welcome, and those taking the class are not expected to have a background in sociology.
Sociology often studies communities and identities. Goss noticed ongoing conversations, particularly online, such as whether Swift is a feminist or her status as an ally to the LGBTQ+ community.
Goss was inspired to create this course partially because so many people are already having these discussions. She thought this class would be something more “tangible” for students since it offers students the opportunity to really focus on the topic and discuss it with peers who share the same interest.
The structure of this course is unique, given there are few published academic resources on such a niche subject.
Students will study more general theories and how they relate to celebrities and popular culture. They will then think about how they can apply them to this specific case. The course incorporates a fair number of popular information sources such as newspaper articles. Students will watch the Taylor Swift documentary “Miss Americana” in class and analyze it; some of her song lyrics also will be studied throughout the course.
While the class focuses on discussing Taylor Swift’s popularity and drawing correlations to what this says about society through a sociological lens, the skills students learn can be applied to anything in the future, such as another celebrity or a presidential campaign.
“What I’m hoping is that it develops a skill that they can take with them when they see anything in society — maybe something that’s super popular, maybe something that’s not, and use sociology as a way to explore it deeper,” Goss says.
Jerry Sun, a first-year student at Oxford, is enthusiastic about taking the course. “I am a huge fan of Taylor Swift,” Sun says. “I’ve been listening to her music since I was really little, so when I saw the class, I was pumped and excited.”
Sun believes sociology complements his major in international studies and looks forward to having conversations where he can draw these connections. “The topic of sociology is pretty relevant to studying international relations and thoroughly understanding them,” he says.
Sun and his friends frequently discuss Taylor Swift when she pops up in headlines. “I have friends who are also part of the Swiftie fandom,” he says. “Whenever Taylor makes the lead in news or breaks another Spotify record, we talk about it.”
He looks forward to having more discussions about Taylor Swift’s influence in a classroom setting, where he and other students can use sociological themes and theories in their analysis. “I’m thinking of questions about how certain issues that Taylor has combatted throughout her career are under the radar in our society,” he says. “For example, the double standards for men and women — men are able to sing about their exes and not be criticized.”
Swift’s ever-growing popularity and influence make her a hot topic of discussion and discourse on various social platforms. For this reason, many students in the course will likely already have had discussions, seen content or formed opinions related to Swift. The course, however, gives them a space where others will be focused on and ready to discuss the topic.
“I hope students are excited about it,” Goss says. “I hope that they come to the class excited to talk about things — maybe things that they have already thought about themselves. Now, they have a chance to sit and debate and really dive into it.”