Auckland University of Technology launches a course on Taylor Swift

Auckland University of Technology (AUT) on September 5 announced the launch of a summer school course, Taylor Swift: Communications Professional. This is Australasia’s first university-level course with the global pop icon.

Offered by AUT’s School of Communication Studies, the course will critically analyse Taylor Swift’s 18-year career through the lens of modern communications disciplines.

This course will allow students to learn and apply communications theory to Swift’s body of work. From analysing her visual and audio content to critiquing her branding strategies, the course offers students a unique opportunity to understand communication principles through the lens of a globally dominant figure in pop



culture.

The course will run from November 18 to December 13, coinciding with Taylor Swift’s 35th birthday, and will be held three days a week at AUT’s City Campus. If there is enough interest, AUT may also offer the course online to cater to students who are unable to attend in-person.

The new course has been launched a little after Swiftposium, an academic conference held in February 2024 to critically examine Swift’s global impact, received an ‘overwhelming’ response. The conference, co-funded by AUT and partner universities in Australia, drew immense attention from both high-school students and fans alike, reflecting the singer’s widespread influence, an official release by Education New Zealand stated.