Module MUSI3251: POPULAR MUSIC & THEORIES OF MASS CULTURE

Department: Music

MUSI3251: POPULAR MUSIC & THEORIES OF MASS CULTURE

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To examine theories of mass culture and aesthetics in relation to popular music (which may include rock music, jazz, or folk musics - the emphasis may vary from year to year).
• To develop a critical awareness of concepts of value in popular culture.
• To encourage students to engage in the debates currently surrounding popular music.
• To enable students to pursue a particular area of interest within the field of popular music at a level of informed independence appropriate to a Level 3 module.

Content

• Considers popular music - in particular rock music, folk music and jazz - in the context of the mass media and mass culture.
• The emphasis is on the examination of theories of mass culture and of the aesthetics of popular music.
• The precise content of the syllabus may change from year to year, and the following are to be regarded as indicative.
• 'Classic' theories like those of Adorno, Benjamin, Riesman and Pleasants may provide starting points, before moving on to consider contemporary studies by, among others, Frith, Hebdige, Middleton, Shepherd, Wicke, Goodwin, Chester and McClary.
• As well as taught inputs to provide a conceptual framework, followed up with directed readings for discussion in seminars and tutorials, there will be projects on particular music - for example, the Beatle's 'Sergeant Pepper', Frank Zappa's 'Overnite Sensation', concepts of improvisation in John Coltrane or Ornette Coleman, or DJ and the club scene of the 1990s.

Learning Outcomes

• Familiarity with a developing body of knowledge embracing theories of mass culture and aesthetics in relation to popular music.

• Capacity to pursue a particular area of interest within the field of popular music and to demonstrate a grasp of research tools.
• Have an understanding of the range of debates surrounding popular music and mass culture.

• Ability to think critically and to question received notions of value.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Consists of a mix of lectures, seminars and group tutorials, combining taught inputs with directed reading and formative papers.
• This approach recognizes that students will need to become familiar with new critical languages in order to discuss a range of popular musics, hence the combination of taught inputs and directed reading.
• It is also recognized that students have much to bring to a module on popular music from their own experience and interests.
• Seminar papers and discussion together with encouragement to develop particular areas of interest are therefore also an integral part of the module.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Seminar/tutorial group papers, to be discussed in the session.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University