Taylor Swift is being honoured with an honorary doctorate.
The ‘I Bet You Think About Me’ hitmaker will be given her Doctor of Fine Arts when she addresses the graduating classes at the ceremony to mark her many achievements - such as three number one albums in a calendar year - along with historian Jill Lepore and other academics.
The 32-year-old songwriting superstar has already left her mark on the Manhattan-based college when journalist Brittany Spanos kicked off her program in January that seeks to “to deconstruct both the appeal and aversions to Taylor Swift through close readings of her music and public discourse as it relates to her own growth as an artist and a celebrity.
Through readings, lectures and more, the class delves into analyses of the culture and politics of teen girlhood in pop music, fandom, media studies, whiteness and power as it relates to her image and the images of those who have both preceded and succeeded her. We’ll also consider topics like copyright and ownership, American nationalism and the ongoing impact of social media on the pop music industry.”
Brittany - who works at music magazine Rolling Stone - labelled herself as a “super fan” of Taylor.
“Teaching a course at Clive Davis has been a dream of mine since I attended NYU. I took several of the Topics in Recorded Music courses in the program while an undergrad and they were foundational to my work as a music journalist."
"It’s such an honor to be able to share my Swiftie expertise with a sharp group of students.”
The ceremony - which will take place on 18 May - will be the university’s first in-person graduation since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and are “thrilled” to be back at Yankee Stadium.
Andrew Hamilton, the president of NYU said: “I cannot overstate how thrilled I am to be coming together in person with graduates, parents, faculty, and honorees for NYU’s Commencement".
"Few groups of graduates are more deserving of a celebration than these classes: their pursuit of their studies disrupted, isolated by a daunting pandemic, these classes—2022, 2021, and 2020—have distinguished themselves with their grit, grace, and forbearance".
"We reconvene at Yankee Stadium with a renewed sense of appreciation for the act of celebrating together in person, a recognition of our graduates’ enormous achievements, and a respect for their character and perseverance.”
Bang Showbiz
