MUS 150 The History of Rock & Roll
INSTRUCTOR: Sara Heimbecker
REQUIRED TEXT: Rolling Stone: The Decades of Rock & Roll (2001) Available at The Book Stop.
Required readings will be supplemented by articles from the web by musicians, producers, engineers, and critics concerning the music and its reception.
REQUIRED LISTENING: All listening examples are accesible through the class web site with username and password. CDs are also on reserve in the Music Library.
CREDITS and TIME: The course is a three credit hour class, T Th 3:30-4:45
CLASSROOM: Frasier 90 (Also known as "Studio B")
•“History of Rock & Roll” is an appreciation and social history course on the popular musical culture in America. While the course will begin with the beginnings of rock & roll and continue with a historical overview of rock and pop music, the class will also focus on social issues surrounding the production, consumption, and distribution of popular music in America.
•Students will study the historical frameworks, as well as the research methodologies in pop music scholarship.
•The scope of the class will be broad, including the perspectives of alternative voices in pop culture; especially addressing issues of black, feminist, and gay identities in pop music, as well as how identities are formed in relation to popular music styles.
•Special issues will include the intersection of rock and film, censorship of American pop music, the appropriation of world music styles in rock, and distribution of music issues, including digital distribution.
•Students will be encouraged to think critically about popular culture media production and consumption.
Grades will be based on one written assignment, three listening exams, and quizzes which will cover reading assignments and recent lecture material.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT:
Attend a live pop/rock concert and write a three page criticism of the performance.
DUE NOVEMBER 13
TESTS:
The multiple choice listening exams will require students to identify songs, artists, styles, and context.
QUIZZES:
Quizzes will be simple, short answer questions to encourage reading and regular attendance.