MUSC 1045 - Popular Music in American Society

Credits: 3
Hours/Week: Lecture 3 Lab 0
Internship hours per week 0
Course Description: This course surveys the history of American popular music from its roots to the present. The course examines the development of popular music styles, analyzes the evolution of the music industry and technology, and explores the relationship between cultural trends, social issues, and popular music. Notable recordings and musicians will be studied.
MnTC Goals
Goal 6 Goal 7A

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

Major Content

1. American political, social, and economic history as it pertains to and influences popular music
   1. Landmark events and movements such as the slave trade, the Civil War, the two world wars, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights movement, and others
2. Cultural trends and influences on popular music
3. Music Industry and Technology
   1. Marketing trends
   2. Record labels, including shifting power dynamics between producers and artists
   3. Radio and payola
   4. Television and its impact on popular music
   5. Recording technology
   6. Analog and digital formats
   7. Streaming
4. Elements of popular music
   1. Form
   2. Instrumentation
   3. Lyrics
   4. Stylistic features
5. Possible styles and trends of music to be surveyed:
   1. Western European and West African origins of the blues
   2. Minstrelsy and ragtime
   3. Pre-rock styles (blues, jazz, R&B, country & western, rockabilly)
   4. 1950s styles, including mainstream pop, rock and roll, surf music, and folk rock
   5. 1960s styles, including the British Invasion, Motown, soul, reggae, and psychedelic rock
   6. 1970s styles, including mainstream rock, singer-songwriter, funk, disco, punk, and new wave
   7. 1980s styles, including pop, MTV, metal, hip hop, and indie
   8. 1990s styles, including grunge, alternative, and electronica
   9. Styles and substyles of popular music in the 21st century
   10. Global styles and trends

1. analyze American history as it pertains to and influences popular music.
2. examine the development of and connection between American popular music styles.
3. evaluate the relationship between the music industry, artists, and their audiences.
4. identify notable bands, artists, producers, and other influential pop music figures.
5. describe how popular music expresses the values of group identities and cultures in American society.
6. analyze elements of popular music, such as form, instrumentation, lyrics, and stylistic features.

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.
Theme Goals (MnTC Goals 7-10)
07A. 01. Understand the development of and the changing meanings of group identities in the United States’ history and culture.

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

07A. 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.

Practicum hours per week: 0

Courses and Registration