North American Popular Music

Undergraduate

examines the development of North American popular music from its origins in the mid-nineteenth century to the present. The course examines major musical genres, their historical roots, their musical characteristics, the influences that shaped them and the artists who defined them. It explores sociopolitical issues embedded in popular music, as well as how music has evolved to express new conceptions of self and community, social anxieties, tensions and ideals. No prior musical knowledge is required.