Songs of the Summer: Social Histories of U.S. Popular Music

3.0 credits · Undergraduate

This course takes a selection of hit songs of the summer from the past fifty years as entry points into pivotal moments in U.S. history. Popular music not only reflects social issues; it also shapes public perception and at can fuel social change, from contexts ranging from the civil rights movement, to US imperialist projects, to the HIV/AIDs crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, movements like BlackLivesMatter and MeToo, and struggles for trans rights. (HC)