The GuardianThe Guardian

Belgian university launches Taylor Swift-inspired literature course

By Ashifa Kassam

13 Aug 2023 · 3 min read

informed Summary

  1. Ghent University in Belgium is offering a course that includes the works of singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, alongside classic English literature. The course, believed to be the first of its kind in Europe, was proposed by assistant professor Elly McCausland, who noticed parallels between Swift's lyrics and the literature she studied.

Much of the syllabus for Elly McCausland’s course at Ghent University reads like a who’s who of English literature, dotted with works by Geoffrey Chaucer, Charlotte Brontë and William Shakespeare. But it’s the inclusion of another prolific writer that has got people talking: the singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.

“I’ve never had so many emails from excited students asking if they can take the course,” said McCausland, an assistant professor at the Belgian university. “And actually non-students as well, people who are not part of the university and who want to participate in some way.”

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