WASHINGTON — So much for The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift will be the talk of American University's Department of Economics as the school plans to offer a class surrounding the pop star.
According to the American University website, the class was part of a student-designed course competition. The winning idea was created by political science and economics major Megan Wysocki and economics and journalism major Mackenzie Shultz.
After learning about the competition, the two Swift-ly got to work collaborating to create a unique course using their love for Taylor Swift to help get people more interested in economics. The pair ended up presenting “Swiftonomics: Economics of Taylor Swift.”.
American University is not the first college to create Taylor Swift-inspired courses. Colorado State University announced a course called Spanish for Swifties just one day before the drop of The Tortured Poets Department, Swift's 11th studio album.
“It’s a great moment because Taylor Swift is so big right now in the world, not just the US and there’s a lot we can learn," said CSU's Assistant Professor for Spanish Specific Purpose Miller De Rutte. "The course will explore her lyrics, her impact globally, particularly in Spanish-speaking countries, so it’s sort of an introduction of linguistic through the lens of Taylor Swift."
However, the big difference between most courses and Wysocki and Shultz designed class is the subject. Many courses focus on Swift's lyrical work, however, "Swiftonomics" will focus on the economic impact of the singer and songwriter, who recently became a billionaire, and her Eras Tour, which is currently the highest-grossing concert tour of all time.
According to TIME, the Eras Tour is projected to generate close to $5 billion in consumer spending in the United States alone.
“If Taylor Swift were an economy, she’d be bigger than 50 countries,” said Dan Fleetwood, President of QuestionPro Research and Insights, in a story for GlobalNewsWire.
The course will also touch on Ticketmaster issues, which led to some fans paying thousands of dollars to resellers to attend the show. The high-profile ticket problems are part of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, which is planning to sue Live Nation.
American University says any students who have completed Principles of Microeconomics can register for the fall 2024 class under ECON-396-001 “Swiftonomics: Economics of Taylor Swift.”
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