Bent Note: Music and Race in the American South

Catalog description

The American South is arguably the nation’s most culturally rich region for popular music. The origins of blues, jazz, rock, soul, folk, country, and gospel have mightily influenced music around the world. However, there is a darker side. The deep South suffers from historically virulent racism and violence that has only worsened a crushing poverty, resulting from a resistance to change. This course is an in-depth study of the South through a musical lens, from New Orleans, Memphis and Mississippi to tobacco road. Our goal is to establish and grow an understanding of art, society, and ourselves.