American Popular Music

Catalog description

A historical survey of American popular music, tracing their development from roots in blues, jazz, gospel, and country music to the music of today including (but not limited to) top 40, rap, reggae, world music, heavy metal, soul and all types of rock. This course is intended to help you think creatively and critically about popular music. Themes explored will include: (1) the interaction of European American, African American, and Latin American traditions, (2) the role of popular music as an expression of racial and gender identity, and (3) the influences of mass media on popular culture. [CSU; UC; CSU-GE, AREA C1; IGETC, AREA 3]