MEDIA RELEASE — February 25, 2026 — R0021
What do Brock University’s Archives and Special Collections have to do with Taylor Swift?
More than most people might think, says Elizabeth Vlossak.
The Associate Professor of History will reveal the connections this spring when students in her A Swift History course study letters that Brock founder Arthur Schmon received from his fiancée, Celeste. Preserved in Brock’s collection, the letters were written while Arthur was fighting in the trenches of Northern France during the First World War.
Vlossak — Brock’s 20th-century Europe and world history expert and resident “Swiftie” — uses the music, career and fandom of Taylor Swift to explore historical thinking and research methods alongside significant, and lesser-known, historical figures, events and cultural developments.
In the course, the Schmons’ love story and Swift’s song “The Great War” provide the backdrop for a lesson uncovering conflicting interpretations of the causes and consequences of the war and its impact on memorial culture.
“Celeste Schmon’s letters are probably not what most students expect to read in a lesson on the First World War, yet they invite us to think more critically about including as many different voices as we can when we study the past,” Vlossak says.
While A Swift History focuses largely on the 20th century, the innovative course also delves into the histories of witch hunts, New York City, showgirls and cats — topics that Vlossak suspects would appeal to Taylor Swift and her fans.
“My goal is to help students understand what history is and to learn how historians study and make sense of the past, but I also want students to be moved by the lives and experiences of those who came before us and to recognize our common humanity,” she says.
For Vlossak, this includes learning how to read and analyze a wide variety of primary sources, including archival documents like Celeste’s letters, material culture and oral history. Students will be asked to reflect on how sources shape historical narratives and how to make history more inclusive.
“We must include as many voices as we can when we study the past,” she says. “Our choice of sources matters deeply.”
This year, Vlossak will also dive into political protest music, connecting the cultural impact of music from the early 20th century — from the 1960s with the anti-Vietnam War protests and Civil Rights movement — to today.
“We will learn about other influential musicians to build base knowledge of these historical actors and events and broaden our understanding of cultural production,” she says.
Students will explore the ways that historical knowledge is communicated in books and articles, museums and memorials, and podcasts and social media.
Each weekly lesson and assignment is inspired by Swift — whether a song, an album or a meme — and students will have plenty of opportunities to analyze Swift’s music, music videos and interviews, and read about her life and career.
Vlossak has even adopted some of the techniques Swift famously uses to engage and communicate with her audience, such as incorporating secret messages, often called Easter eggs, into the weekly lessons.
Whether students have never studied history or are fourth-year History majors, they’ve never heard a Swift song or are lifelong Swifties, Vlossak says A Swift History has something for everyone.
More information on Brock’s Spring/Summer course offerings, including A Swift History, is available at brocku.ca/springsummer
Registration opens Tuesday, March 3.
For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:
*Sarah Ackles, Communications Specialist, Brock University [email protected] or 289-241-5483
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