Classes on celebrities like Taylor Swift and Rick Ross are engaging a new generation of law students

By HANNAH FINGERHUT
Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A South Dakota law professor who typically teaches torts and natural resources is turning his attention to Taylor Swift next semester. The self-described “Swiftie” wants to draw on music and art to help his students reconsider legal language and craft persuasive arguments. Swifties at the University of South Dakota School of Law aren’t the only ones having fun. Law professors across the country are increasingly drawing on pop culture to engage a new generation of students and contextualize complicated concepts. Courses on Swift, Rick Ross and Succession supplement traditional law school courses with fun, accessible experiences that professors say they often didn’t have themselves.