That should help enrollment.
“Penn State Berks to offer Taylor Swift course for fall 2024”
- Thread starter BobPSU92
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Aside from all the joking, she is a prime example for the mass communications field and for marketing purposes. A lot can be studied on how to take someone who was a mediocre singer from a talent show, put her in a niche and exploit, or expose her to the mass media frenzy into a new cash cow craze. The methods of marketing and influencing in the social media world could be lessons wisely learned by others, especially those in politics and business.
are you referring to Taylor Swift? when was she ever a contestant in a talent show ?
I remember about 20 yrs ago my niece telling me she took a class that analyzed Seinfeld and it's effects on society.
What am I missing? She is a very talented pop singer but go back and listen to a pink floyd, beach boys, beatles or CNSY recording and think about the depth of their work versus Swift's.
FWIW, here is the PSU bio of the person teaching the course.
https://berks.psu.edu/person/ramsey-e-michele
https://berks.psu.edu/person/ramsey-e-michele
Yeah, my wife did a class on vampires in literature and film. Multidisciplinary classes are all the rage nowadays. I thank God that I taught mathematics.
It’s the songwriting and her connection with fans. Rolling Stone has her as #97 on their list of Top 100 songwriters of all time. Sure, she’s not Bob Dylan - but she’s like, 30. She has been the way she is for a long time; amazing how butthurt everyone is over this.
I took a class over 30 years ago titled 1960s Popular and the Counterculture. It was fantastic. First class the instructors broke down the meanings and references of American Pie for three hours.
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A number of years ago the school where my wife teaches created five one-semester English electives. Three proved to be devoid of content, student interest dropped off the cliff, and they were discontinued in short order. The remaining two are enormously popular, with one regularly attracting walk-ins from the staff and community. Ya' never know until you try.
I guess I was thinking of Carrie Underwood. I believe she was on "America's Got Talent" as either a winner or 2nd place before launching into country music.
Did the class teach your niece about significant shrinkage???
Everyone is different, but your songwriting career typically has a much shorter shelf life. I mean, at some point, the song story of the guy who cheated on you and broke your heart wears thin as you move closer and into your 40s.
This is, of course, a big problem that major universities have. If I am a parent and my kid is now paying $35,000 per year or $626 per credit hour, I am starting to rethink my investment in college. They've really lost sight of cost/value relationships of higher education. (assuming their loan isn't forgiven)
It’s not all she writes about which is why unlike many peers, she peaks with every new record.
This is completely untrue. Songwriters more often than not stay active in songwriting for other performers long after their own performance careers are over. This is the case for myriad reasons ... not being comfortable being a performer, not wanting to deal with the time/physical demands of touring/promoting, declining physical abilities, wanting to also pursue other activities, etc.. If you have an ability to craft a popular/quality song, you can still call on the memories of certain experiences to construct a quality lyric and song structure ... and that doesn't disappear just because you're no longer at that stage in life.
I agree. I'm not a fan, but I don't get a rash when there's news like this about her. I don't think she's a great songwriter, singer, or musician, but I give her a lot of credit for having the drive, courage, and intelligence to succeed and connect with hundreds of millions of people. Also, my opinion means zilch in her universe, and her universe is pretty damn big. What a phenom!
Carrie Underwood -- she won season 4 of American Idol
Swift was in some local talent shows as a young kid. She took 1st place in one at age 11. She also won a national poetry contest. Swift may be many things, but she isn't somebody that won a talent show (and a recording contract with it).
yeah...ok, show me the deep songs written and performed by the beatles, led zep, the who, Dylon...there is a huge drop off for guys like Springsteen and Phil Collins. Look at Rihanna, and Brittany Spears. There are certainly expectations but the expectation is that they lose steam and relevance.
Carrie Underwood won American Idol. Simon Cowell should his genius by predicting that she would not only win the show but that she would be the most successful American Idol winner ever.
I don't mind her or her success at all, but paying Penn State tuition dollars to talk about her impact on society seems silly to me.
I can read books and chat with likeminded friends for free, thanks.
I can read books and chat with likeminded friends for free, thanks.
Taylor Swift Got 35,000 People To Register To Vote. A true, red, white and blue patriotic American from Pennsylvania!
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I’d also add universities all over the world have been studying Eminem’s writing for years. Mostly in literature courses concerning different writing/rhyming schemes (such as anapestic tetrameter). In 2021 there were over 600 mentions of him in published academic articles.
Using Rihanna to make your case is kind of amusing. She's not a song writer or a lyricist. She may make suggestions for changes to songs that are brought to her, but that's it in terms of her writing.
I find your choice of the word "amusing" to be, well, amusing.
There is a fine line between writers, composers, singers and performers. And, clearly there are artists that do it all deep into their careers (Cher and the Stones for examples) but the vast majority lose steam and relevance. Swift seems to be quite a phenom but the music I've heard is very much "lite" IMHO. And I have a 19 year old daughter.
Don't get me wrong, I like her. A friend of mine's daughter posted a short video on snapchat (or one of the social medias) and got an email from someone purporting to be Swift's stage manager stating Taylor had seen the clip and wanted to invite her to her final show at SoFi in LA. As the family discussed if it was a scam or not, the daughter got an alert from TicketMaster with four tickets in the sixth row. The Wall Street Journal picked it up and did an article that included her work. her name is Sydnee Stovall. Mom, Dad and Sydnee went and it was great. The only unfortunate part was that right before Taylor went on, the stage manager came over to them and welcomed them. She asked 'didn't you get my text?" They weren't getting service and did not. Taylor had invited them backstage but it was too late as they were now into last minute prep. Can you even imagine?
NitFarmer,
Even though being an old fart and usually dismiss expression from anyone younger than 55, I do agree with your observation.
"The course will start with a three-week overview of the impact music has on personal identities, the historical intersections of music and politics, and gendered expectations of female performers"
Well Picasso knowledge sounds classier at a dinner party.
I wouldn't want to spend PSU tuition $ on a Picasso class, either. Don't get me wrong, I took some classical art classes in college, and feel they were mostly a waste of time, I could have learned that information on my own for free.
Ultimately up to the student, but I personally want more technically proficient Americans capable of critical thinking coming out of our post secondary education system. Seems a lot of people feel the same but colleges are not adjusting their curricula. Maybe I'm just old? Dagnabbit.
Not everyone can be an engineer (or artist, or musician, or whatever). I think exposure to these things, even if not what one wants to do as a career, is good (broadening horizons and all). Want to know what an artistically bankrupt place filled with critical thinkers/engineers looks like? Visit Beijing.
Lite? Song she wrote for her grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, is anything but. Of course, the song is better than reading the written word....packs a wallop.
marjorie
Never be so kind, you forget to be clever
Never be so clever, you forget to be kind
And if I didn't know better
I'd think you were talking to me now
If I didn't know better
I'd think you were still around
What died didn't stay dead
What died didn't stay dead
You're alive, you're alive in my head
What died didn't stay dead
What died didn't stay dead
You're alive, so alive
Never be so polite, you forget your power
Never wield such power, you forget to be polite
And if I didn't know better
I'd think you were listening to me now
If I didn't know better
I'd think you were still around
What died didn't stay dead
What died didn't stay dead
You're alive, you're alive in my head
What died didn't stay dead
What died didn't stay dead
You're alive, so alive
The autumn chill that wakes me up
You loved the amber skies so much
Long limbs and frozen swims
You'd always go past where our feet could touch
And I complained the whole way there
The car ride back and up the stairs
I should've asked you questions
I should've asked you how to be
Asked you to write it down for me
Should've kept every grocery store receipt
'Cause every scrap of you would be taken from me
Watched as you signed your name Marjorie
All your closets of backlogged dreams
And how you left them all to me
What died didn't stay dead
What died didn't stay dead
You're alive, you're alive in my head
What died didn't stay dead
What died didn't stay dead
You're alive, so alive
And if I didn't know better
I'd think you were singing to me now
If I didn't know better
I'd think you were still around
I know better
But I still feel you all around
I know better
But you're still around
Yep. I would not be happy if my daughter took a damn course in swift or unicorns etc. paying 60k next year.
I'm not sure what all of the above is about. We're talking about a pop star who is a songwriter. I have no idea what rock bands who are still performing from their virtual graves, or pop stars who aren't songwriters, have to do with that. Again, there are a lot of folks who perform their own music, then decide to mostly write for other artists. If you're a talented songwriter, that skill usually outlasts your ability to perform.
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