AMST 3660: Sounds of America

3 Credit Hours

This course explores the cultural, social, political, and economic implications of sound and music. The course applies deep listening and critical thinking techniques for students to interrogate how American societies engage with discourses around music production, circulation, and consumption. Studying sounds and music genres as texts, students analyze a plethora of topics, including but not limited to historical studies of jazz, cultural politics of country music, and contemporary iterations of rap music. Using hemispheric approaches, students also interrogate sounds and music genres of the Americas to grasp how sounds travel across borders.

Course Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

Demonstrate understanding of sound and popular music studies from a U.S. and hemispheric context.
Analyze global events and realities related to the study of popular music and sound studies.
Apply knowledge of social justice theories related to popular music and sound studies.
Analyze various media content related to sound studies with critical thinking and writing exercises.
Write research papers with a focus on one or more aspect of popular music and sound studies.