SOUND CULTURES: PODCASTING AND MUSIC
Sound plays a crucial but understudied role in experiences of media and cultural life. From the mundane sounds of our daily routines to the irresistible refrains of our favorite songs, sound (in its various guises as noise, music, echo, vibration, etc.) is fundamental to communications media and, more broadly, to our perceptions of the world around us. An introduction to the emerging field of sound studies and an investigation into the role sound and music (or lack thereof) play in various communications media. Through audio assignments such as the creation of podcasts, learn the basics of digital audio recording and editing software and how to present and distribute audio content via the Internet, specifically as podcasts. Gain practical skills for creating digital audio projects and a deeper appreciation for how paying attention to sound leads to unique understandings of history, culture, and media technologies.
Prerequisites & course information
Requisites: Junior standing Course Designation: Core GenEd - Humanities & Arts Breadth - Humanities Level - Intermediate L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Fall 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Apply theories from the field of sound studies to discussions of the everyday sounds that structure our experiences. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 2. Use digital audio recording/editing technologies and techniques to build a portfolio of soundwork for future projects Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 3. Critically analyze how sounds and sound media shape our identities and are shaped by factors such as race, gender, class and other markers of identity Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 4. Demonstrate facility with theory and methodologies from the field of sound studies Audience: Graduate 5. Apply concepts, ideas and arguments from research in sound studies in the production of a scholarly podcast or soundwork Audience: Graduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Apply theories from the field of sound studies to discussions of the everyday sounds that structure our experiences. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 2. Use digital audio recording/editing technologies and techniques to build a portfolio of soundwork for future projects Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 3. Critically analyze how sounds and sound media shape our identities and are shaped by factors such as race, gender, class and other markers of identity Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 4. Demonstrate facility with theory and methodologies from the field of sound studies Audience: Graduate 5. Apply concepts, ideas and arguments from research in sound studies in the production of a scholarly podcast or soundwork Audience: Graduate
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027