As a musicologist, I would be willing to teach a semester on Taylor Swift as the center of 21st century pop culture, all from a music theory/music history perspective—but it would be for music majors, and primarily for those planning to have careers in non-classical music, or classical musicians wanting to see how the other half lives. The idiotic approach to this course taken by Tennessee, and almost certainly everywhere else, just demonstrates why my generation should be the last to be college professors, and why college in general should be allowed to die a quick and painful death.
You’re right studying Taylor in the context of learning entertainment marketing makes sense for marketing or music majors. But only in that context.
Or business/marketing majors
It’s not like studying Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms or even Lennon, Croce or even Lynyrd Skynyrd. She’s still alive and making music, which can change as she progresses through different stages of life....................