In recent years, universities like New York University and University of South Carolina have started to offer different college level courses surrounding celebrities. Superstars such as Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey and Bruce Springsteen have inspired classes that revolve around them and their work.
Within these courses, many subjects are covered, all of which relate back to the life or work of a figure in pop culture. These classes have examined subjects like songwriting, impact, sociology and theology.
Senior Skyler Glusman of Middletown believes that classes like these would provide a welcome break from traditional learning.
“I’m not sure if they’re very practical, but I think it’s a good breather class. It’s something more interesting than, say, just a general education class.”
Multiple different colleges have offered courses about superstar Taylor Swift, who is known for her intricate song writing and profound success. Stanford University has a course entitled All Too Well (10 Week Version), consisting of an in-depth analysis on the singer’s ten minute song off of her album, “Red (Taylor’s Version).”
The University of Texas at Austin also features a course about Swift, and talks about her entire discography, or “The Taylor Swift Songbook,” as it is titled. This course is known to compare Swift’s work to texts written by Shakespeare, Keats and Frost, demonstrating similarities in their work and impact. There are many alternative courses offered as well, providing additional topics regarding Swift’s chart- topping career and influence within the music industry.
Other than Swift, many courses include the songwriting of other artists as well as their impact on the industry. For example, Texas State University offers a course named “Harry Styles and the Cult of Celebrity: Identity, the Internet and European Pop Culture.”
Sociology, which is the study of the development, structure and functioning of human society, is another common topic of study in these programs. One sociology course, offered by Skidmore college, revolves around pop star Miley Cyrus by examining “sociological thinking about identity, entertainment, media and fame” through the celebrity, according to Professor Carolyn Chernoff.
One rarely seen topic is theology, the study of the nature of God and religious belief. Bruce Springsteen, New Jersey legend, has a course at Rutgers University entitled “Bruce Springsteen’s Theology” which focuses on Springsteen’s lyrics and the message they convey.
Senior Joey Esposito of Tinton Falls believes that courses like Springsteen’s have more to offer than just insight into an artist’s music.
“I feel like you could get a lot of life lessons out of a Bruce Springteen class because he has a lot of life lessons in his music,” Esposito said.
