Honors 392 Taylor Swift

Syllabus

Do a google search for the 1960s group The Beatles, and you will get back about 285 million results.  A google search for Bob Dylan will return 89 million results. A google search for Taylor Swift will return 1.2 billion results. Her 2023 The Eras Tour became the first tour in history to surpass $1 billion in revenue, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time.

Obviously, Taylor Swift has made an impact on American culture.  This course will examine what is behind her rise in popularity, and how her lyrics may serve as a mirror for many Americans’ worldview.  Apart from analyzing her lyrics, life, and popularity, we will go on a writing journey of our own. First, learning how to write concisely and effectively, and then working on our own songs.

A course that includes some writing may not sound interesting. It may (wrongly) take us back to the drudgery of learning grammar. For this reason, we will read engaging material that will make us want to keep reading. The course intends to inspire you to develop your innate abilities and your learned skills.

By the time our class is over you should be able to:

• Identify topics that lead to a discussion
• Write a clear and concise brief essay
• Identify aspects of American culture found in Taylor Swift’s lyrics
• Articulate your worldview that answers life’s biggest questions
• Appreciate the art of writing

WEEK ONE: (January 8)

• Introduction
• Short answers due by Friday January 12th at 12:00 p.m. NOON

WEEK TWO (January 22)

• Taylor, pages 4 – 56; Zinsser, Introduction, chapters 1, 2, 3 (Album: Taylor Swift)

WEEK THREE (January 29)

• Taylor, pages 57-84; Zinsser, Introduction, chapters 4, 5 (Album: Fearless)
• Revised short answers due

WEEK FOUR (February 5)

• Taylor, pages 85-115; Zinsser, chapters 6, 7 (Album: Speak Now)

WEEK FIVE (February 12)

• Taylor, pages 116-151; Zinsser, chapters 8, 9 (Album: Red)
• 300 word essay due

WEEK SIX (February 26)

• Taylor, pages 152-188; Zinsser, Introduction, chapter 10 (Album: 1989)

WEEK SEVEN (March 4)

• Taylor, pages 189-231; Zinsser, chapter 20 (Album: Reputation)
• Revised essay due

WEEK EIGHT (March 11)

• Taylor, pages 232-250; Zinsser, chapter 21
• Album theme due

WEEK NINE (March 25)

• Taylor, pages 250-279; Zinsser, chapter 22 (Album: Lover)
• Lyrics one and two due

WEEK TEN (April 1)

• Taylor, pages 281-301; Zinsser, chapter 23 (Album: Folklore)
• Lyrics three and four due

WEEK ELEVEN (April 8)

• Taylor, pages 302-339; Zinsser, chapter 24 (Album: Evermore)

WEEK TWELVE (April 15)

• Three album reviews; Zinsser, Introduction, chapter 25 (Album: Midnights)
• Revised lyrics due

WEEK THIRTEEN (April 22)

• Your Songs

Course Success

This course is rather straight forward–it is about participation, reading carefully, and growth as a writer.  The grade breakdown is as follows:

Participation: 15%
Essay and Mitchell Assignments: 25%
Quizzes: 60%

Participation includes your weekly submission of three questions from the reading that should lead to a group discussion. You will submit these questions on Canvas by noon on the Friday before our Monday class. The questions should be typed in Word, using 12-point font. Participation will also include your oral contributions to the weekly discussions. Every time you do not turn in the three questions, your total participation grade will go down by ten percent.

The grading rubric for grading your written assignments will be based as follows:  95% on style/punctuation/grammar and 5% on content.  We will use The Elements of Style and The Chicago Manual of Style as the measure for style/punctuation/grammar.

The quizzes are mostly multiple choice questions that will be on Canvas, so you need a device in class that will connect with Canvas. This is the only time that you will use technology in the classroom.  Any use of other technology is not permitted in the class, and texting or being engaged on your phone during class will result in 100 points deducted from you final quiz score.

Apart from our introductory first class, we will only meet twelve times during the semester.  Because of this, attendance in our course is paramount.  Each unexcused absence will result in losing points for that day, and a subtraction of 150 points from your final quiz score. An excused absence is when you let me know before class that you cannot make it due to illness or something beyond your control (documentation will be helpful if you do miss class). If two assignments are either turned in late or not turned in at all, your final quiz grade will be reduced by 50 points.

Any academic dishonesty/cheating–be it related to our quizzes or plagiarism (including the use of AI)–will result in an F for the course, and probable dismissal from the Honors College, and will also be put in your student record.

Textbooks

Taylor Swift: The Brightest Star

“Encyclopedic in its scope, this is the ultimate tribute to the life and music of Taylor Swift. No need for glossy images here, the narrative says it all – a chronological account of her mercurial rise to fame; the stories that inspire the songs; an in-depth look at those much-publicized battles with the media, music industry and fellow artists, and all recounted with well-chosen words from the artist herself and dozens of others who have played a part in her incredible story. Put together, we have the definitive record. If not already a fan, reading this may very well change your opinion. `I really do try to be a nice person…but if you break my heart, hurt my feelings, or are really mean to me, I’m going to write a song about you.’”

On Writing Well

“On Writing Well has been praised for its sound advice, its clarity, and its warmth of style. It is a book for anybody who wants to learn how to write, whether about people or places, science and technology, business, sports, the arts, or about yourself. Its principles and insights have made it a cherished resource for several generations of writers and students.”

“Not since The Elements of Style has there been a guide to writing as well presented and readable as this one. A love and respect for the language is evident on every page.” Library Journal