Queen's to launch Taylor Swift law class this fall

Aprofessor at Queen's University is launching a Taylor Swift-themed law course this September to make entertainment law more relatable and relevant for students.

A self-described Swiftie, Mohamed Khimjiis also a professor of business law at the Kingston, Ont., university and will be teaching "Law (Taylor's Version)" in the fall.

Khimji said he expects the demand for spots in the class will be high.

He said the idea came to him while discussing Swift's re-recordings with a colleague.

"She asked me why Taylor re-recorded her albums, and I started explaining the businessand the legal reasons why an artists would want to do that," Khimji told CBC OntarioMorning.

"Itmade me think my students would be interested in knowing this as well."

Khimji's class will focus on entertainment law, using Swift's career and her legal battles to highlight and analyzetopics liketrademarks, copyright and contracts.

He said her re-recordings, in particular, should be studied in an academic setting for the impact they've had on the music industry.

"They've changed how record companies and musicians negotiate terms and how legal agreements are done," he said.

Lots of legal history to draw from

In 2019, Swift's former record label Big Machine Records was purchased along with the masters to her first six albums.

Swift publicly spoke out against the sale, arguing that she was not given a chance to buy back her work.

It resulted in her decision to re-record her first six albums, and as of April 2024.she'd released the new"Taylor's versions" of her albumsFearless, Speak Now, Red and 1989.

Khimji said Swift's well-documented legal battles which also includebeing sued twice forcopyright overthe lyrics of her song "Shake it Off" will help his students understand how the law works outside of the classroom.

It's not the only Taylor Swift-themed class Queen's has offered, however: in 2022, the Kingston, Ont., universityfeatured a course focused on Swift's songwriting and literary prowess.

Shook off skepticism about class

By incorporating pop culture into law courses, Khimji said the material becomes more relatable and engaging.

His course also meshes with the goal of upper-year elective classes, he said: to give students a good sense of how they'll be applying their knowledge after they graduate.

"Being a Swiftie myself, I just assumed everybody would be as excited as I was," Khimji said. "There's always going to be skepticism when you're going to use pop culture at a professional school."

He said the skepticism came from colleagues wanting to verify there was enough substance to warrant a full class centred around Taylor Swift.

Khimji said that skepticism didn't bother him, however. Thecourse has now been given the green light and will be offered to Queen's studentsstarting thisSeptember.

"As Taylor Swift would say: haters gonna hate, you just gotta shake it off," he said. "And that's what Idid."

Ottawa Morning7:23New Queens University course schools students on Law (Taylors Version)

We speak to the professor behind a new course that dives deep into Taylor Swifts encounters with entertainment law.