MUSC 1045 - Popular Music in American Society

Credits: 3
Hours/Week: Lecture None Lab None
Course Description: This course surveys the history of American popular music from the 1950s to the present. The course examines the development of various music styles, such as rock and hip-hop, and explores the relationship between cultural trends and popular music. Notable recordings and musicians will be studied.
MnTC Goals
6 Humanities/Fine Arts, 7 Human Diversity

Prerequisite(s): None
Corequisite(s): None
Recommendation: None

Major Content

1. American political, social and economic history as it pertains to popular music
2. Cultural trends and influences on popular music
3. Marketing and the Music Industry
4. Possible styles and trends of music to be surveyed:
   1. Western European and West African origins of the blues
   2. The Blues
   3. Jazz
   4. Country
   5. Rockabilly
   6. Popular music through television (ex. American Band Stand)
   7. West Coast Surf
   8. Folk and Folk Rock
   9. Rock Hybrids
   10. The British Invasion
   11. Motown and Soul
   12. Acid Rock
   13. Disco
   14. Punk Rock
   15. Heavy Metal
   16. Grunge
   17. MTV and the video age
   18. New Wave and Synth- Pop
   19. Electronica: Rave, Techno and House
   20. Rap & Hip-Hop
   21. Recent Trends: Rage- Rock, Ska, Jam Bands
   22. Postmodernism in Popular Music
   23. Global Pop Music
5. Structural elements of music

1. Recount recent American history as it pertains to influences popular music
2. Evaluate the relationship between the music industry, artists, and the public
3. Identify notable artists and the various musical styles of popular music
4. Describe how music expresses the values of mass culture, counter-cultures, and subcultures
5. Describe and identify the structural elements of music (rhythm, melody, harmony, texture, etc.)

06. 03. Respond critically to works in the arts and humanities.

06. 05. Articulate an informed personal reaction to works in the arts and humanities.
Competency 2 (7-10)
07. 01. Understand the development of and the changing meanings of group identities in the United States’ history and culture.

07. 02. Demonstrate an awareness of the individual and institutional dynamics of unequal power relations between groups in contemporary society.

07. 04. Describe and discuss the experience and contributions (political, social, economic, etc.) of the many groups that shape American society and culture, in particular those groups that have suffered discrimination and exclusion.

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