Popular Song in America

Catalog description

This course examines the stylistic and technological developments as well as socio-cultural influences that have shaped popular music in the US since the 17th century, with emphasis on the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Styles discussed include psalmody, minstrelsy, Tin Pan Alley, the blues, country music, rock, soul, and a wide variety of contemporary styles. Popular music is contrasted with other media and discussed primarily as a social phenomenon.