Course Description
This course examines the history and sociology of contemporary music in North America from the Golden Age of Tin Pan Alley to the present. Students critically analyze the influence of technology, ideology, aesthetics, class, ethnicity, race, age and gender, on various genres of music including Tin Pan Alley, rockabilly, rhythm and blues, progressive rock, heavy metal, punk rock, disco, country music, hip hop and electronica. Class discussions centre on critical reading of texts and ideas from Adorno, Small, Negus, Frith, Meyer, Hebdige, among others, with the purpose of engaging with some of the significant cultural and musical issues of our time.
