Elly McCausland is a professor of English Literature at the University of Ghent in Belgium, and a self-confessed 'Swiftie', as fans of singer Taylor Swift are known. This year, she is teaching the lyrics of Taylor Swift alongside poets such as Sylvia Plath, Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare in a course for Masters students. “I had the idea for the course, actually last year, in the autumn, when Taylor Swift released the album ‘Midnights.’ And on ‘Midnights’, she has a song called ‘The Great War,’ and in ‘The Great War,’ she talks about a relationship and she uses the symbolism and the iconography of the first World War to talk about a relationship, a difficult relationship, relationship trauma. And I started thinking about comparisons we could make between that text and other poems,” explained McCausland. “I thought, I want to hear what my students have to say about this. So, the classroom could be a really good space for that conversation”. Other universities have also realized the potential of the pop star's lyrics to inspire students. The University of Texas at Austin offered a literature course to undergraduates last year. “I think it is really important that literature remains fresh and we give students new perspectives because it's a living thing and its reception changes all the time,’ said McCausland. “So, why not compare it with a modern artist?”