Music

During this course, students take a critical look at the music industry - particularly those companies that are based in London, such as Sony, Universal, and Kobalt - and explore the impact new technologies have had on the way music is produced and consumed. Central to this exploration is the question of how music is valued in the 21st century. Students survey two classic conceptions of value: the value of commodities by Marx (and later Marxians), and ideas about gift and gift exchange established by Marcel Mauss. 

This course offers an introduction to the Haegeum (the 2-string Korean fiddle). While learning to play this instrument, students deepen their understanding of Korean traditional music.

The course critically evaluates rock music's musical content and contemporary cultural and social roles; ideally, the course serves to develop your general intellectual capacities of the music industry from the 1950s to 1960s (the so-called "rock and roll" era, arguably the most turbulent yet important period in popular music history). It's NOT a music course, per se, but we are listening to a lot of music as we consider the effects of recorded sound on popular culture. Thus, this is the quintessential "media and culture" course. We study the origin and growth of the recording industry and music business, consider the impact new technology had (and continues to have) on the development of popular music and examine the mutual influence between rock music and other media (film, television, radio, etc.). Following a loose chronology, we begin with an introduction to listening and some musical fundamentals, gradually developing a vocabulary with which to discuss and experience selected works from the history of rock. We trace the evolution of specific musical styles and investigate issues related to culture, performance, technology, and reception. Reading assignments introduce the distinct musical styles, performers, and works that comprise each genre and a certain time period. They also cover the relationship of rock music to American and global popular culture, historical representation, and authenticity.