Talking All That Jazz

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course explores the various roles jazz music has been assigned in the construction, maintenance, and representation of American and African American religion. We will read and listen to musicians' religious manifestos and seek to locate them within the broader context of the history of religions in the Americas. At the same time, we will also consider the ways "jazz" has been figured as a threat to religious integrity, the quintessential sound of people's spiritual struggle, and the promise of America as a nation, among other themes. Listening to good music will be required.