Sonnet H. Retman
Introduction of popular music and social change in 1950s and 1960s. How this interaction effects significant change. Considers political activism for civil rights and against the Vietnam War as they intersect with the development of rock and roll, R&B, acoustic and political folk music, and post-bebop jazz.
For this quarter's offering, the course title is "Hip Hop and Indie Rock." Are you a fan of hip hop, punk, son jarocho, and/or indie rock? Do you make music? Are you interested in how music scenes get documented? Do you wonder why women are left out of music stories? Would you like explore archives and local music communities? Would you like to connect with the EMP Pop Music and Women Who Rock conferences? If "yes" is your answer to any of these questions, sign up for this introduction to pop music studies. The course examines how archives, oral histories, and new media transform music stories. It traces the influence of genres such as blues, gospel, estilo bravío, punk, son jarocho, and disco on hip hop and indie rock in order to contextualize their relation to race/ethnicity, gender, class, locality, and nation. Assignments will include an entry-level, digital media project. No prior experience necessary. You will learn to use online tools in class. Meetings: Monday discussion and Wednesday interactive lab.
Student learning goals
• Develop your ability to listen to, analyze, and discuss popular music and performance and other kinds of cultural texts
• Interpret the broader social, historical, aesthetic and cultural contexts in which popular music has evolved
• Illustrate popular music’s centrality in the making of personal and public identities, and collective memory and history
• Assess the impact of popular music on social movements of the past and present
• Utilize social media for purposes of documentation
• Understand the multiple ways in which archives can work as a tool for social justice
General method of instruction
lecture, discussion, lab and collaborative research projects.
Class assignments and grading
Possible Assignments: Discussion/ Weekly 250 word responses Quizzes Mid-Term Exam Conference report flickr photo album/video upload Photo Essay