Taxpayer Dollars At Work: OUTRAGE Over UC Berkeley's Taylor Swift Marketing Class

By Lisa Pelgin | Tuesday, 23 April 2024 09:20 PM
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Taxpayer Dollars At Work: OUTRAGE Over UC Berkeley's Taylor Swift Marketing Class
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The University of California Berkeley has come under fire for offering a business course centered on the success of globally acclaimed singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift.

The course, which reportedly attracts a high number of students each semester, explores how Swift utilized marketing strategies to reach her current level of fame. However, the decision to provide such a course has drawn criticism in light of the Biden administration's proposal to forgive student loan debt, as reported by CBS News. Critics argue that taxpayers should not be responsible for funding courses that focus on celebrities like Swift.

Libby Emmons, the editor-in-chief of The Post Millennial, ignited a debate when she shared a CBS News segment featuring Berkeley students enrolled in the course. "The same people who want us to pay off their student loans are taking college courses on Taylor Swift," Emmons wrote. Her comment elicited a flurry of responses, with one user stating, "Ridiculous to say the least ... no value adding for the US economy, what an utter waste of taxpayers money."

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Others echoed this sentiment, with one user calling it a "scam" and another warning students not to complain about their "worthless degree" on social media platforms like TikTok.

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The course, officially titled "Artistry and Entrepreneurship: Taylor's Version," is taught entirely by two undergraduate students, Sofia Lendhal and Miaad Bushala, and currently has 44 students enrolled. "Taylor is so strategic in all the things that she does," Bushala told CBS News. "When you think of a brand, that's all they ever want. They want loyal customers and that's what Taylor has."

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UC Berkeley is not alone in offering courses on Swift. Other prestigious institutions, including Stanford University and Harvard University, have also introduced courses studying the so-called "Swift Effect" in various departments, including gender studies, political science, and English.

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Sejal Krishnan, a chemical engineering major enrolled in the course, defended its relevance. "There's a reason top institutions are studying that," Krishnan said. "They know it's a trend." Despite the controversy, it seems the popularity of such courses continues to grow, reflecting the significant cultural impact of Taylor Swift's career.

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