Sounds In and Out of Africa

(4 Credits)

This course investigates cultural influence and exchange among Africa, the African diaspora, Europe, and America with a particular emphasis on sound and music. How has the sound of Africa been transcribed, recorded, stored, transported, and represented in the West? What can this tell us about global cultural flows? How do specific recording techniques articulate with global music markets? The course evaluates the politics of transcription, ethnographic description, and recording; and examines the changing role for traditional African music in a global world.