Taylor Swift has built a publicity machine. A new Berks college course is using it as a lesson on PR.

Feb. 26—The exercise was a simple but telling one.

Dr. Jodi Radosh asked the students gathered inside a classroom at Alvernia University's Reading CollegeTowne campus to pull out a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. She asked them to write down a list of words and phrases, ones that popped into their heads when they thought about Taylor Swift.

They wrote words like "music," "guitar," "family" and "lover." They scribbled terms and phrases like "businesswoman," "love for life" and "dedicated to her fans."

Radosh then asked why those words and phrases came to mind. She asked them how the image of the pop megastar who grew up in Wyomissing was produced.

The answer, of course, is that Swift's image has been carefully crafted for years. Her brand is well established and information about it is impeccably curated.

The fact that those words and phrases were the ones that the students thought of was not a coincidence. It's intentional.

"She really knows how to sell herself," Radosh, who calls Swift the "princess of propaganda and publicity," said. "And she has since a young age."

Beyond being a singer and songwriter, Swift has become a big, successful business in large part to the image she has created. And that makes her the perfect subject for a course on public relations.

Bringing Taylor into the classroom

Radosh, who serves as chair of Alvernia's communications department, is using Swift's professional success as the centerpiece of a new course. Promoting the Popstar, being offered for the first time this semester, looks at Swift's career as a way to teach public relations and marketing concepts.

"It's all the same concepts, she's just the lens we're looking at them through," Radosh said.

Radosh said she got the idea for a Swift-themed course over winter break. The mother of two college-age "Swifty" daughters, she was keenly aware the pop star was having a major moment.

Swift was all over both traditional and social media. There were coverage and posts about her ongoing "Eras" tour, her burgeoning relationship with professional football player Travis Kelce and discussions about her Grammy Award nominations.

Simply put, she was everywhere.

And, Radosh said, nearly all of the exposure was positive. Swift wasn't wilting under the spotlight, she was thriving.

"I just thought, 'She's a genius at public relations,'" Radosh said.

Looking ahead to the spring semester, Radosh realized Swift would likely continue to be big news. Her boyfriend was set to play in the Super Bowl — with her in attendance — and she had a chance to become the first artist to ever win four Grammys for album of the year (a feat she accomplished).

Radosh saw an opportunity. She could take a real-world situation, one that her students couldn't help but be inundated by and involved a Berks County native, and turn it into a lesson.

As she planned the course, Radosh didn't lack for material. She said one of the biggest lessons Swift can teach aspiring public relations professionals is about branding.

Swift has built a strong, consistent brand, Radosh said. And she's done it largely through her mastery of social media.

Take, for example, a video she posted after the Super Bowl of her running into her parents while celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs' win at a nightclub. The wholesome moment and cheeky caption were completely on-brand.

So was a photo she posted of her borrowing Kelce's jacket to keep warm. Or photos Swift posted a few years back of her as a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding — held on campus at Alvernia.

Swift also remains on brand when it comes to mass media.

She made sure to make it onto the field after the Super Bowl, knowing cameras would be focused on her and Kelce for their inevitable celebratory kiss. She posed with one of her cats on the cover of Time after being named the publication's Person of the Year.

When put together, they paint a certain picture of Swift. One that she wants her fans — and the public in general — to see.

"She is actually a master at storytelling," Radosh said, saying that skill is something every public relations or marketing professional should strive for.

Surprise: It's Taylor

Many of the students taking Radosh's course sounded like Swifties as they took part in classroom discussions last week.

But that appears to just be a coincidence.

Radosh said the course name and description didn't include any mention of the pop star. Instead, students interested in public relations learned about the focus of the course on the first day of class.

They quickly realized how apt she was as a subject.

"From an image cultivation perspective, she's immaculate," said Ben Foster, a senior from Virginia.

Emily Barrett, a junior from Wernersville, said members of her generation consume a ton of media, particularly online. She said taking a deeper dive into Swift's career has made her look behind the curtain a bit to see how it's all crafted.

"I'll see something now and think, 'How many people did it take to make that image,'" she said. "It's made me think about how curated, not just her, but all these celebrities are."

Barrett said that every time she sees an advertisement, she can't help but think, "I know what you're doing."

Foster said the class has helped him dissect the media material he sees. While he's always been a bit of a cynic, he said, he's learning to better understand the ins and outs of marketing and public relations.

"It's given me a toolbox to analyze what I'm seeing," he said, adding that he's been impressed with Swift's skills in those areas. "It sounds cold, but it's really impressive: Everything Taylor does is so calculated, so precise."

A popular subject

Colleges across the country have made Swift the subject of courses, delving into her songwriting, social impact and other aspects of the pop star's career.

Stanford University and Rice University have courses dissecting her lyrics. Arizona State has a social psychology course about Swift.

Other schools featuring Swift courses include the University of California, Berkeley, University of Florida, University of Delaware and Brigham Young University.

There are other Swift-centric college course offerings in Berks.

Radosh's colleague Dr. Jess Hamlet introduced a Swift course this semester. It's focused on analyzing and understanding the appeal and aversion to Swift through studying her music, videos and interviews.

Hamlet's course features discussions on white feminism, performative allyship, race and racism, sexuality, girlhood and femininity, misogyny and more.

And students at Penn State Berks University will get a chance to take a Swift-related course this fall. Associate professor Michele Ramsey will teach "Taylor Swift, Gender and Communication.

The course will look to examine Swift's cultural and musical impact, as well as her portrayal in the media.