MUS 115US Popular Music

Catalog

Prerequisites: None Course Description: This course is an examination of US popular music based around a selective survey of rock, pop, soul, country and other popular musics. This course is not comprehensive, but rather a topic- based inquiry that traces the development of styles from roots in blues, gospel and country music through to the present day. We will consider a wide range of musical styles including rap, Top-40, alternative, punk, and a range of more recent pop music. Most importantly this course considers music in, of, and as culture, consistently engaging with ideas about race, gender, sexuality and identity in relation to various popular music forms. Students are not expected to enter the class with extensive musical knowledge, but should leave the course as an informed and critical listener with foundational understanding of basic musical concepts.