US singer Taylor Swift arrives for the 81st annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, USA, Jan. 7, 2024. Artists in various film and television categories are awarded Golden Globes by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Allison Dinner, EPA-EFE 

MANILA — Over 300 students of University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman fought for a slot in a Taylor Swift elective, according to associate professor Cherish Brillon, forcing the department to open another section to accommodate the demand.

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In an interview with ANC's "Headstart," Brillon said the Department of Broadcast Communication under the UP College of Mass Communication initially opened just one section exclusively for Broadcast Communication students.

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"The demand went as high as 300 students who wanted to enlist for the course, so two days before the enrollment ended, we decided to open another class of 25 students for those who are not Broadcast Communication students," said Brillon, a self-confessed Swiftie.

"We wanted to make it democratized and open to all courses in UP Diliman," she added, noting that she also has "a lot of mathematics student from BS Math."

Brillon explained that the course, which raised some eyebrows, would "problematize" Taylor Swift and the concept of celebrities. She added that it would not be a fan service for "blind" Swifties.

At the end of the course, students would learn "how we can critically evaluate the role of the Filipinos and their relationship with celebrities."

For Brillon, celebrities are "more than just entertainment" and could be a "way to understand the intersection of class and gender and our aspirations for success."

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"Our ideas of success now are embedded in celebrities," she said.

Brillon said the Department of Broadcast Communication could offer another course on a different celebrity in the succeeding semesters.