College of Fine Arts
Please direct all questions about the flag proposal process to the Center for the Skills & Experience Flags.
MUS 342 American Music
Department of Music
To satisfy the Cultural Diversity flag, at least one-third of course grade must be based on content dealing with underrepresented cultural groups in the US. Please describe which underrepresented cultural groups will be studied in this course, and how one-third of the course grade is based on study of the group(s).
Nearly every week, we cover topics related to the intersections of music and race, gender, and ethnicity. Each listening quiz features at least one example, usually more, of music by an underrepresented cultural group (total of 15%). In-class discussion frequently addresses issues of music and representation head-on, and I make it clear throughout that I expect students to participate actively in these discussions (15% of course grade). Students also write three papers over the course of the semester, on a topic of their choosing (within the parameters of each essay prompt). When I teach the course in the future, I will stipulate that at least one of these papers must focus on music of an underrepresented cultural group in the U.S. (10-25%). Lastly, Response Papers #3 and #4 (“Contextualize a Primary Source” and “Analyze a Scholarly Article”) will focus on topics related to race, ethnicity, and American music (6%).
For the purposes of the Cultural Diversity Flag, the committee understands a cultural group to be “underrepresented” if the experience of its members in the US has been or continues to be one of persistent marginalization. What are some typical readings, assignments, or activities in the course that are related to the context of persistent marginalization of these underrepresented cultural groups?
We trace the history of African American music in the United States, from slave songs to spirituals, to jazz and blues, to Motown, to hip hop, over the course of the semester. We examine points of continuity throughout history as well as the particulars of each historical moment. Throughout, we consider music as a form of expression, and as a means of protest, for African Americans. Students read primary source materials by and about influential African American composers and musicians. We also discuss the ways that biases and discrimination at different historical moments have affected opportunities for black musicians and mainstream reception of their music, through group discussion and in-class short reflection papers.
The Cultural Diversity flag indicates that a course will challenge students to explore the beliefs and practices of an underrepresented group in relation to their own cultural experiences so that they engage in an active process of self-reflection. Please describe some assignments or activities that give students an opportunity for this kind of reflection.
Throughout the course, one of the primary goals is for students to gain deeper understanding of how music both reflects and shapes various identities in American culture—including gender, race, ethnicity, and class—and how these categories have shifted over time. I ask students at the beginning of the semester to write a response paper that reflects on music in their own lives, and what music means for them. At the end of each unit, I ask them to reflect, through in-class writing, on how the material covered in the unit affects their understanding of music in American life. I encourage them to consider the many different roles music can play in people’s lives, in both positive and negative ways. (We even discussed the complex issue of music and violence, to challenge the notion that music always functions as a source of good in the world.) In writing assignments, I ask students to draw connections between and across historical periods and genres, which inevitably leads to analysis of multiple cultural groups at different historical moments engaging with different musical practices. In these instances, I ask students to actively articulate broader themes, as well as points of contrast or difference, in these practices.