ENROLL

Sarah N Lahasky

This course is designed to increase your awareness of the role of music as a part of social, political, and economic life. While popular music consumption for entertainment is one interaction that you might have had with music, there are myriad other meanings and uses for music in the United States and around the world. Some of these uses and meanings are obviously apparent to the average listener, and others are less so. Throughout the course, we will be exploring a variety of ways that people use, engage, and identify with music from various regions. The course is organized geographically, beginning with the US/Western Europe and then moving to parts of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Each week, we will focus on particular themes related to “traditional,” classical, or popular music to analyze in the context of our geographic case studies. Throughout the course, you will have the opportunity to apply concepts from class to your own musical case study. The culminating course project will consist of an ethnography of your chosen case study. No musical experience necessary.

Sophomore Priority