Course content

This course will explore popular music history and practice through both its cultural impact and its diverse stylistic tangents, from rhythm and blues and 1950s rock 'n' roll, to hip hop, electronic dance music, and other recent genres. The course will focus on 1950-2021, and centrally consider US-UK traditions though there will be some attention to areas of Scandinavian popular music history. The course will examine both cultural and technical aspects of popular music practice. Recordings and artists will be discussed in relation to their musical and social contexts and the course will equally explore issues of race, gender, and commercial aspects of the popular music industry. The course will additionally explore aspects of the histories of both record production and music technology.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

A candidate who successfully completes MUSV1103 will have

• have knowledge about the main developments in popular music from 1945-2000
• have an increased understanding of style, genre, and technology in relation to popular music practice and history
• have knowledge about how the development of technologies for recording, music production and distribution has influenced the history of popular music, 1945-2000
• know music examples that represent the different areas of popular music history
• have specialized knowledge of the critical theory and discourses around the relationships between popular music, cultural discourse, and the music industry

Skills:

A candidate who successfully completes MUSV1103

• can identify and describe the characteristically musical features of different styles of popular music
• can, based on musical recordings, recognize a selection of important popular music artists
• can analyze and debate different recordings of popular music
• can formulate her/his knowledge in both oral and written forms

Learning methods and activities

Lectures.

Lecture-based assignments.

Compulsory assignments

• Assignments/quizzes during the semester

Credit reductions