History of Rock n’ Roll

Catalog description

This course covers the history of popular Rock music in Western culture, focusing mainly on British and American contributions to the style. The course will examine the rich “prehistory” of Rock and Roll by examining the primary musical precursors, Gospel music and the Blues. This course will also investigate the social and racial context that gave rise to this revolutionary 20th-century musical form. We will ground our study of popular musical trends within contemporary cultural and social contexts, as all art is in some way a reflection of both a time and a place. In some cases, we will look to specific case studies to give us greater insight into important cultural moments in 20th and 21st-century American history. In short, this course is a comprehensive survey of major trends in rock music and a collective critical assessment of how we tell the story of our own musical heritage. Emphasis will be placed on discussion, critical assessment of sources, song analysis, and developing active listening skills.