Taylor Swift’s Latest Era: Knudson Law School

Taylor Swift has garnered worldwide commotion lately, as she embarks on her Eras Tour. Following this public craze, Swift’s impact has seeped into unconventional aspects of society, such as academia.

Many universities, such as Stanford University and Berklee College of Music in Boston, have started offering classes based on the star and her business techniques. This spring semester, USD’s Knudson School of Law will follow suit, offering a course based on Swift. 

The course will be offered by professor Sean Kammer next spring for second- and third-year law students. 

In an interview conducted by the university, Kammer said he wanted to do something different that maybe most law students wouldn’t have done in school.

“The basic idea is to use a topic about which students are already quite passionate about to help them interrogate the law in ways they probably wouldn’t otherwise do in law school,” said Kammer. “The course will also help them understand that their experiences and passions not typically associated with the law can, and do, inform the way they approach the law. Who they are matters, essentially.”

Kammer is a fan of Swift himself, which inspired him to create this course. He attended her Eras Tour in Minneapolis and has had several interactions with students who also enjoy Swift. 

The course will provide students insights into legal philosophy, culture and rhetoric. They will explore this through Swift’s music, lyrics, public persona and her interactions with the legal system. 

During the course, students will debate over music interpretation as it relates to the law. They will also understand the influence of music and its effects on the law. 

Kammer said he wants the students who take the class to eventually figure out who they are as people along with learning the material.

“It matters not only in terms of which arguments they choose to make or whose interests they seek to represent, but in how they treat fellow members of their communities,” Kammer said. “I want them to learn that the practice of law is not something they should sequester from the rest of their lives. It is something that should be embedded within a full life, and it should be pursued in a way that is consistent with one’s values and identity.”

For more information, email [email protected] or professor Kammer at [email protected].