2020-21 Academic Catalog

Music has a long, ugly history as a tool for the transmission of racism, and a vital one as a weapon against it. We will survey important instantiations at the intersections of music and racism in blackface minstrelsy, western classical music, Dalit music, Albinism, the U.S. national anthem, white nationalism, and the anti-apartheid movement, among others. Centering racism and antiracism, we will investigate the careers and musical output of five musicians: Paul Robeson, Pete Seeger, Hazel Scott, Charity Bailey, and Janelle Monae. Students will complete an original guided research project on a topic of their choice. No musical experience required.