Inside Harvard's Taylor Swift Class: A conversation with Prof. Stephanie Burt
Taylor Swift (Harvard’s Version): In discussion with Prof. Stephanie Burt
Date: Wednesday 13th March/ 9am Perth Time and 12noon Sydney Time
Duration: 1 hour by Zoom. Once you have registered, we will send you the Zoom Link.
- 15 minutes moderated discussion between AC and SB
- 45 minutes of questions submitted from Members
Participants:
- Professor Stephanie Burt (Harvard Professor of “Taylor Swift and Her World”)
- Adil Cader (Foreign Affairs Podcaster) and Moderator
Relevant Media:
- NBC. (December 2023). Meet Harvard’s Taylor Swift professor (2:10)
- Harvard University. (February 2024). An inside look at Harvard's "Taylor Swift and Her World" class (2:30) YouTube.
- Sky News Australia. (February 2024). Hundreds enrol in Taylor Swift course at Harvard (1:52) YouTube.
- The Atlantic. (2023, December). "Taylor Swift at Harvard" [Article].
Summary:
In late 2023, Harvard made global headlines with the announcement of a course titled Taylor Swift and Her World. The class, which commenced a few weeks ago, delves into Swift's music, career, and the analysis of the factors that contributed to her fame and popularity.
Over 300 students have registered making it one of one of the largest classes within the arts and humanities department. Course Professor Stephanie Burt has made numerous media appearances discussing the course.
In this exclusive online event, Professor Stephanie Burt will address the Harvard Club of Australia and field questions about the course, shedding light on the inspiration behind the creation. Submit your questions now!
Biographies:
Professor Stephanie Burt:
Stephanie Burt is a literary critic and poet who is Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker Professor of English at Harvard University. The New York Times has called her "one of the most influential poetry critics of her generation".
She is teaching the new “Taylor Swift and Her World” course at Harvard University, which has nearly 300 students signed up. In this class, students will engage in in-depth examinations of Swift's lyrics, music, and influence. The course involves dissecting her catalog and exploring a range of authors identified by Burt as relevant to understanding Swift’s artistry.
She has authored numerous collections of poetry and extensive literary criticism published in prestigious outlets such as The New Yorker and The London Review of Books. Burt gained attention for coining the term "elliptical poetry" in 1998 and later introduced "The New Thing" in 2009, a category of American contemporary poets.
Born and raised in Washington D.C. She received a BA from Harvard University in 1994 and a PhD in English from Yale University in 2000.
Adil Cader (Moderator):
Adil Cader is an International Relations academic and the Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Ambassador Western Australia. He is the founder of the Talking Foreign Affairs Podcast, an educational show in which he interviewed over 40 heads of state. His articles on foreign policy have been published in The West Australian, The Oxford University Politics Department, The Diplomat, and Australian Outlook.