Sound Studies

Catalog description

Sound is one of the five senses and a primary way we relate to one another and to the world. Speech distinguishes humans from other animals; we locate ourselves in spaces through echo; we feel sound in our bodies and vibrate sympathetically; we capture sound waves on vinyl or as binary codes. In this introduction to the field of sound studies, we will take up familiar topics like voice and listening, music and technology, and unpack them through readings from leading scholars. We will listen intently to speech and song, silence and noise. And we will dive into case studies that focus on people and places in the Unites States.