Ethnomusicology

This survey charts the history and development of jazz from its earliest origins to the present. Representative recordings in various styles are selected for intensive analysis and connected to other musics, currents in American and world cultures, and the contexts and processes of performance. The Chicago Jazz Archive in Regenstein Library provides primary source materials.

This course is a selected survey of classical, popular, and folk music traditions from around the world. The goals are not only to expand our skills as listeners but also to redefine what we consider music to be and, in the process, stimulate a fresh approach to our own diverse musical traditions. In addition, the role of music as ritual, aesthetic experience, mode of communication, and artistic expression is explored.

This course is a selected survey of classical, popular, and folk music traditions from around the world. The goals are not only to expand our skills as listeners but also to redefine what we consider music to be and, in the process, stimulate a fresh approach to our own diverse musical traditions. In addition, the role of music as ritual, aesthetic experience, mode of communication, and artistic expression is explored.

What can we learn from popular music? Reebee Garofalo asserts that it is "a social and political indicator that mirrors and influences the society we all live in." In his book Audiotopia, musicologist Josh Kun further suggested that "political and cultural citizenship is configured through the performance of popular music and its reception, via acts of listening, by the people." Building upon these observations, Katherine Meizel has argued that popular talent competition shows like American Idol offer a rich and unexplored opportunity to examine such acts of listening, contending that these programs provide valuable lenses into American ideologies and narratives of Americanness. Taking up this charge, this course explores the relationship between American political, educational, social, and cultural discourses, popular culture, and musical performance through analyses of popular music competition shows such as American Idol, America's Got Talent, and The Voice. Organized thematically, the course includes units that address themes of meritocracy, democracy, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, celebrity, disability, talent and ability, and education. The class will examine specific musical performances from televised talent competitions in relation to broader academic literature, popular media coverage, fan discourse, and scholarly sources specifically addressing the talent shows. Students engage in online and in-class debates as well as designing a final project.