Berkley, California You might not expect a business school course to start with students belting out Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” but at the University of California, Berkeley, Swift isn’t just Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer.”tortured poet”, she is a case study in how to build an empire.
“Taylor Swift is a phenomenon,” UC Berkeley senior Sejal Krishnan, a chemical engineering major, told CBS News. “Her tour has essentially revived much of the economy and boosted the local economy wherever it goes.”
Students Sofia Lendahl and Miaad Bushala teach Artistry and Entrepreneurship: Taylor’s Version to 44 fellow students.
“Taylor is so strategic in all the things she does,” Bushala said. “When you think about a brand, that’s all they ever want. They want loyal customers. And that’s what Taylor has.”
“There is a reason why top institutions study that,” Krishnan added. “They know it’s a trend.”
Along with UC Berkeley, several universities across the country, including Harvard and Stanford – offer classes on the so-called “Swift Effect” in departments ranging from English to political science and gender studies.
Swifts successes and failures, including the struggle for regain control of her master recordings, are part of the syllabus at UC Berkeley.
“We also learned about some of the implications she’s had on legal issues like artist rights and ticketing law, which has also been really impactful because you don’t see that every day,” said student Will Grischo, who is majoring in media studies and art history.
When asked how their families reacted when they took a course on Taylor Swift?
“My parents were super excited,” Krishnan said. “My mother took me to the 1989 concert.”
“They (my parents) said, ‘You have to take this class, if not now, then never,’” said student Jessica Revolorio, a sociology major who is the first in her family to attend college in the U.S.
And Swift is now making some students think even bigger.
“She is incredibly fearless in the way that she doesn’t mind taking creative risks,” said student Angelique Zoile, who is studying business administration. “For me it’s like climbing the corporate ladder… In about five years I’ll end up as a manager.”
Zoile said she is more willing to take career risks because of this Swift-inspired lesson.
