MUS 53 — Taylor Swift and Millennial America
Quarter: Summer
Instructor(s): Theresa Michelle Iker
Date(s): Jul 8—Aug 26
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Wednesdays
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 5:30—7:00 pm (PT)
Tuition: $440
Refund Deadline: Jul 10
Unit(s): 1
Enrollment Limit: 85
Status: Registration opens May 18, 8:30 am (PT)
Quarter: Summer
Day: Wednesdays
Duration: 8 weeks
Time: 5:30—7:00 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jul 8—Aug 26
Unit(s): 1
Tuition: $440
Refund Deadline: Jul 10
Instructor(s): Theresa Michelle Iker
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Enrollment Limit: 85
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Registration opens May 18, 8:30 am (PT)
Whether you identify as a Swiftie or are simply Swift-curious, it is impossible to deny that Taylor Swift has become a cultural, economic, and political powerhouse. This course will be an academic Eras Tour: we will take a historical approach to Swift’s career by placing her in the context of the 20th- and 21st-century United States. We will explore the forces that enabled her rise to superstardom as well as those that shape her loyal millennial fanbase. Topics include the politics of country music; race and class dynamics in American suburbia; the roles of globalization and technology in the rapidly changing music industry; feminist readings and feminist critiques of Swift’s career; growing political polarization; and the attempts of various communities, including Gaylors and the alt-right, to claim Swift as their own.
THERESA MICHELLE IKER
Lecturer, Department of History, Stanford
Theresa Michelle Iker specializes in modern American politics, gender, and culture. She received a PhD in history and a minor in feminist, gender, and sexuality studies (FGSS) from Stanford, where she now serves as the Choi-Lam H&S Lecturer in Undergraduate Teaching. She offers courses exploring the intersections of popular culture and politics, most recently “Taylor Swift and Millennial America.” Her writing has been published in TIME, the Journal of Women’s History, the Clayman Institute’s Gender News, and The Huffington Post.Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.