Knowledge Discovery in Medicine and Music

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course explores knowledge discoveries in both medicine and music in France with special emphasis on knowledge exchange with the U.S. The course will focus on the sharing of life-saving medical knowledge through major scientific discoveries in France and globally during the 19th century through the modern medical era. The course will focus on international collaborations, health communications, multimedia, and knowledge sharing through cultural exchange. Key researchers will include Louis Pasteur, Paul Broca, plus Luc Montagnier and Françoise Barré-Sinoussi who co-discovered the HIV virus at the Institut Pasteur. The course will cover evolving knowledge about cancer screening and cancer prevention. During the second half of the course, we will explore knowledge in relation to music production, sound recordings, and media technologies with special attention to collaborations with experts in France, Europe, Japan, and the U.S. The course will cover French composer/music teacher Nadia Boulanger who taught some of America's greatest composers including Aaron Copland (Appalachian Spring), and Quincy Jones (music production work for Michael Jackson, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin). Through readings, discussion, and music listening, we will explore knowledge sharing from the American jazz scene in Paris during the 1920s and 1930s, Louis Armstrong, George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, the Orchestre de Paris, plus the impact of the Paris Opera on music and ballet worldwide.