University offers course on the social psychology of Taylor Swift: ‘I guess I’m going back to school’

Arizona State University will be offering eager students a new course this fall, called “The Psychology of Taylor Swift - Advanced Topics of Social Psychology.”

In an article from ASU News, the institution announced the new addition as a “swift” approach to learning psychology, and expressed its hope that, by using the pop star and her fans as a prime example of parasocial relationships, students will be able to explore the topic in a fun and relevant way. The course will also touch upon social psychology themes found within Swift’s songs, life, and romantic relationships as well, according to the school.

“The course is basically using Taylor Swift as a semester-long example of different phenomena - gossip, relationships, revenge,” explained Alexandra Wormley, a PhD student from the psychology department who is teaching the class this fall. She emphasised that, no matter whether you’re a fan of the Cruel Summer singer or not, “the class is not a seminar on how much we like or dislike her - we want to be able to learn about psychology”.

When asked why she wanted to pair Taylor Swift with advanced psychology, Wormley said that she was inspired after seeing Swift perform in Glendale, Arizona. The next day, she was in the lab with a few of her research assistants, and “they joked that they would love a course about her”.

Half-joking, Wormley said that she then drafted a “rough outline” of what a potential Taylor Swift psychology course would look like and later pitched it to her department. To her shock, they liked it.

Although Wormley herself is not a hardcore Swiftie, she has been in close enough proximity to one that the appreciation for the singer-songwriter has rubbed off on her. She credits her partner’s sister with getting her into the artist: “I learned almost everything I know about Taylor Swift from my partner’s sister, who has been a Swiftie forever. She played a huge role in shaping the topics of the course. Her enthusiasm is pretty contagious - so in the span of two years, I went from indifferent to being one of her top listeners on Spotify last year.”

As for the curriculum, the PhD student said she plans on connecting “a theme from a Taylor Swift album” to one of many social psychology topics. Wormley cites the pop cultural drama surrounding Swift’s Reputation as an example of a Swift album ripe with potential, especially in terms of exploring the concept of revenge.

She said that after public conflicts with former couple Kim Kardashian and Kanye West,  Swift enacted “her revenge on them - and the broader media landscape - by dropping an incredibly successful album along with a stadium tour”. She also said that “social psychology can tell us” why we as a society like revenge and why we do it.

According to Wormley, teaching social psychology through the lens of Taylor Swift’s life and work will make concepts more engaging. The PhD student said that research has found that “when students can relate their course material to their own lives, it increases comprehension and retention”.

On social media, the news of the university class has been met with an outpouring of praise from Swift fans, with many revealing they’d sign up for the course.

“Brb, enrolling in ASU and looking to do my doctorate in Swiftism,” one person tweeted, while another said: “I would ace that class.”