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Tue, 15 Oct 2024 21:30:38 +0000

Prepare to 'Shake it Off' with the Penn State Berks 'ERAS TOUR' on Nov. 2 Event being held in junction with the course 'Taylor Swift, Gender, and Communication,' offered this fall admin Tue, 10/15/2024 - 17:30
Penn State Berks is holding a free public event, the “Eras Tour (Penn State Berks Version)” from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Saturday, November 2, 2024 in the Perkins Plaza. This free event requires advance registration.
Credit: Jaine DelVecchio Expand October 15, 2024
WYOMISSING, Pa. — Penn State Berks is holding a free public event, the “Eras Tour (Penn State Berks Version)” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 2, in the Perkins Plaza. The event is held in junction with the course “Taylor Swift, Gender, and Communication” offered this fall at the college. Admission is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required.

Students from the college’s “Taylor Swift, Gender, and Communication” course will guide guests through an interactive tour of each era/album of Swift’s career. Visitors will have the opportunity to take photos at a Taylor Swift photo booth and engage in games and activities centered around each era, including friendship bracelet-making. There will also be a performance of some of Swift’s greatest hits by the Stephanie Grace Band at noon.

The course, which is cross-listed as both communication arts and sciences and women’s studies, takes the unique approach of examining Swift’s cultural and musical impact and her portrayal in the media. The course was developed and is taught by Michele Ramsey, associate professor of communication arts and sciences and of women's, gender and sexuality studies. Ramsey’s research interests include representations of gender in the media; women's rights, social movement and political rhetoric; and advocacy for the humanities.

Ramsey explained why she developed the course: “I was motivated once the videos of 'The Eras Tour' started circulating on social media and I started to see so many people making negative comments about Taylor Swift’s fans and the ways that they perform their fandom. At the same time, I noticed the beginning of what has become a seismic shift in our culture, and that is people of all ages and from all walks of life coming together to appreciate the fun and, most importantly to me, the feminism of Taylor Swift’s music."

For more information on the “Eras Tour (Penn State Berks Version),” contact Ramsey at emr10@psu.edu.