Fort Collins, CO - Colorado State University (CSU) is offering a unique approach to Spanish language learning, incorporating the music of Taylor Swift into its curriculum. A new course at CSU utilizes SwiftS discography to analyze language, themes, and cultural connections, sparking unusually high student engagement, according to the professor who designed it.
The course, led by Miller de Rutte, tasks students with analyzing all of Swift’s albums and identifying the most common words and themes within her lyrics. “The students were definitely more engaged then some other classes I’ve taught, especially online, because I think they were so interested in the content,” Miller De Rutte told The Collegian, CSU’s student newspaper.She added that grading assignments was a joy, noting she could “hear their excitement” even in written work.
This innovative approach reflects a broader trend in higher education, where educators are seeking to connect with students through popular culture. Miller de Rutte emphasized the need for educators to “innovate” and meet “students where they’re at” to facilitate learning. She believes using lyrics and music “opens the mind, like a window, to other countries and cultures and other points of view,” allowing students to explore how people think across cultures through language. The CSU course also examines pop culture and current events related to Swift’s “album eras” and global events during her tours.
CSU is not alone in integrating Swift’s work into academic study. The University of Cincinnati offers “Ideology (Taylor’s Version),” while the University of Kansas provides multiple Swift-themed courses, including explorations of her academic lore, songwriting, branding, and sociological impact.Last year, Harvard Memorial Church even hosted an event, “Reading Taylor Swift as a Sacred Text,” utilizing religious reading practices to analyze her lyrics.
