COMM 190 :: Schedule

This is the current list of all reading, listening, and written assignments for the course.
All updates and changes will be made here, not to the PDF of the syllabus.

All readings, unless otherwise linked, can be located on the course TritonEd page.

All listening assignments are Spotify playlists, linked below.

Warning: Some songs and even some readings use language that some students may find objectionable.
Keep in mind that we are discussing these works in the context of critical scholarship.

1  ::  01.12.18  ::  Introduction: Comm as culture & the culture industries
 
Read:
  1. Adorno, Theodor & Max Horkheimer. (1944). Excerpt from Dialectic of Enlightenment. In Mass Communication and American Social Thought, John Durham Peters & Peter Simonson (eds.), Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield, 2004, pp. 180-182.
  2. Adorno, Theodor. (1941). “On Popular Music.” In On Record: Rock, Pop and the Written Word, Simon Frith & Andrew Goodwin (eds.), London: Routledge, 1990, pp. 301-314 (PDF 256-267).
  3. Carey, James. (1989). “A Cultural Approach to Communication.” Communication as Culture: Essays on Media and Society, Boston: Unwin Hyman, pp. 13-23.
  4. Williams, Paul. (1966). “How Rock Communicates.” In The Penguin Book of Rock & Roll Writing, Clinton Heylin (ed.), London: Viking, 1992, pp. 75-80.
  5. Shuker, Roy. (2017). “Commercialism; Commodification,” “Communication,” “Counter-Culture,” “Cultural Industries,” “Cultural Intermediaries,” “Hegemony,” “Ideology,” “Mass Culture: Frankfurt School,” “Marxism,” “Popular Music,” “Subculture(s).” In Popular Music: The Key Concepts, 4th edition. New York: Routledge.
Optional extras from background lecture:
Listen: Week 1 playlist
(Focused listening is not required this week. These are just 20 tracks that hopscotch through the upcoming syllabus a bit. Press play and simply survey the term ahead.)
 

2  ::  01.19.18  ::  Defining musical protest & the first wave of folk
 
Read:
  1. Denisoff, R. Serge. (1966). “Songs of Persuasion: A Sociological Analysis of Urban Propaganda Songs.” Journal of American Folklore, vol. 79, no. 314, pp. 581-589.
  2. Denisoff, R. Serge & Mark H. Levine. (1971). “The Popular Protest Song: The Case of ‘Eve of Destruction.’” The Public Opinion Quarterly, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 117-122.
  3. Eyerman, Ron & Scott Barretta. (1996). “From the ’30s to the ’60s: The Folk Music Revival in the United States.” Theory and Society, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 501-543.
  4. Eyerman, Ron & Andrew Jamison. (1995). “Social Movements and Cultural Transformation: Popular Music in the 1960s.” Media, Culture & Society, vol. 17, pp. 449-468.
  5. Lynskey, Dorian. (2011). “Billie Holiday, ‘Strange Fruit,’” “Woody Guthrie, ‘This Land Is Your Land,’” “Pete Seeger et al., ‘We Shall Overcome.’” In 33 Revolutions Per Minute: A History of Protest Songs from Billie Holiday to Green Day. New York: HarperCollins.
 
Listen: Week 2 playlist
 
Optional extra readings:
 
3  ::  01.26.18  ::  Teen panic, culture wars, and censorship
 
Read:
  1. Gilbert, James. (1986). “Introduction: The Social History of an Idea” and “The Intellectuals and Mass Culture.” A Cycle of Outrage: America’s Reaction to the Juvenile Delinquent in the 1950s. New York: Oxford UP, pp. 3-10, 109-126.
  2. Wise, Sue. (1984). “Sexing Elvis.” In On Record: Rock, Pop and the Written Word, Simon Frith & Andrew Goodwin (eds.), London: Routledge, 1990, pp. 333-340
  3. Locke, Alain. (1934). “Toward a Critique of Negro Music” In Mass Communication and American Social Thought, John Durham Peters & Peter Simonson (eds.), Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield, 2004, pp. 98-102.
  4. Anonymous. (1965). “Air Pollution.” Newsweek, Aug. 16, p. 76.
  5. Zappa, Frank. (1985). “Statement to Congress.” In The Penguin Book of Rock & Roll Writing, Clinton Heylin (ed.), London: Viking, 1992, pp. 501-508.
  6. Nuzum, Eric. “’Freedom of Speech’: An Overview of Music Censorship.” In Parental Advisory: Music Censorship in America. New York: Perennial, pp. 3-12.
 
Listen: Week 3 playlist
 
Optional extra readings:
DUE: Assignment #1 — Blog post
Write a blog post encapsulating your understanding thus far of what elements comprise the kind of songs we’re examining in this course. Focus your analysis through one song — pick a popular song and answer at least these questions: What makes this a protest song? How does it fit within (or defy) the definitions we’ve encountered thus far? What message is being communicated? For whom? By whom? Who’s being excluded? Why this medium? You must apply theory from the readings to support your claims.
  • Length: 500 words
  • Submit: before class begins via Assignment #1 link on TritonEd
 
 
4  ::  02.02.18  ::  The 1960s, rock and roll, and the second wave of folk
 
Read:
  1. Rosenstone, Robert A. (1969). “‘The Times They Are A-Changin’’: The Music of Protest” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 382, pp. 131-144.
  2. Santelli, Robert. (1999). “Beyond Folk: Woody Guthrie’s Impact on Rock and Roll.” In Hard Travelin’: The Life and Legacy of Woody Guthrie, Robert Santelli & Emily Davidson (eds.), Hanover: Wesleyan UP, pp. 48-56.
  3. Sklaroff, Lauren Rebecca. (2017). “During Vietnam War, music spoke to both sides of a divided nation.” The Conversation, Sept. 13. Available here
  4. Denisoff, R. Serge. (1970). “Protest Songs: Those on the Top Forty and Those of the Streets.” American Quarterly, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 807-823.
  5. Frith, Simon. (1981). “The Magic That Can Set You Free: The Ideology of Folk and the Myth of Rock Community.” Popular Music, vol. 1, pp. 159-168.
 
Listen: Week 4 playlist
 
Optional extra readings:  
5  ::  02.09.18  ::  The 1960s (cont’d), soul, and R&B
 
Read:
  1. Danielsen, Anne. (2006). “Whose Funk?” Presence and Pleasure: The Funk Grooves of James Brown and Parliament. Middletown: Wesleyan UP, pp. 3-19.
  2. Werner, Craig. (2006). “’All Along the Watchtower’: Jimi Hendrix and the Sound of Vietnam.” In A Change Is Gonna Come: Music, Race & the Soul of America. Ann Arbor: U Michigan Press, pp. 109-116.
  3. Smith, Suzanne E. Sections from the chapters “‘Afro-American Music Without Apology’: The Motown Sound and the Politics of Black Culture” and “‘Come See About Me’: Black Cultural Production in Detroit.” In Dancing in the Street: Motown and the Cultural Politics of Detroit. Cambridge & London: Harvard U Press, pp. 154-172, 117-121.
  4. Lynskey, Dorian. (2011). “Nina Simone, ‘Mississippi Goddam,’” “James Brown, ‘Say It Loud–I’m Black and I’m Proud’” In 33 Revolutions Per Minute: A History of Protest Songs from Billie Holiday to Green Day. New York: HarperCollins, pp. 70-84, 109-125.
 
Listen: Week 5 playlist
 
Optional extra readings/viewings:  
6  ::  02.16.18  ::  Gender identification and sexual orientation
 
Read:
  1. Rodnitzky, Jerome L. (1975). “Songs of sisterhood: The music of women’s liberation.” Popular Music and Society, 4(2), pp. 77-85.
  2. Love, Nancy Sue. (2002). “‘Singing for Our Lives’: Women’s Music and Democratic.” Hypatia, 17(4), pp. 71-94.
  3. Rosenberg, Jessica & Gitana Garofalo. (1998). “Riot Grrrl: Revolutions from within.” Signs, 23(3), pp. 809-841.
  4. Jang, S. Mo & Hoon Lee. “When Pop Music Meets a Political Issue: Examining How ‘Born This Way’ Influences Attitudes Toward Gays and Gay Rights Policies.” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 58(1), pp. 114-130.
  5. Auslander, Philip. (2006). “Who Can I Be Now?: David Bowie and the Theatricalization of Rock.” In Performing Glam Rock: Gender and Theatricality in Popular Music. Ann Arbor: U Michigan Press, pp. 106-149.
  6. Lynskey, Dorian. (2011). “Carl Bean, ‘I Was Born This Way’” In 33 Revolutions Per Minute: A History of Protest Songs from Billie Holiday to Green Day. New York: HarperCollins, pp. 283-298.
  7. Dyer, Richard. (1979). “In Defense of Disco.” In On Record: Rock, Pop and the Written Word, Simon Frith & Andrew Goodwin (eds.), London: Routledge, 1990, pp. 410-418 (PDF 351-358).
 
Listen: Week 6 playlist
 
Optional extra readings/viewings:
DUE: Assignment #2 — Annotated playlist
You are a talent scout, and you have been asked by a record company to suggest a “socially conscious” artist or artists to add to their roster. The company is seeking to sell the music of someone who’s “in touch with the issues of today and uses their music as a bullhorn for society.” Compile a playlist of 10 songs by a single artist or a related group of artists. Applying your evolving, working definition of what constitutes communication via this mode, discuss each song within a full paragraph that elucidates how it measures up to our topical standards as well as similar artists and music. The record company insists that you offer compelling and precise evidence-based arguments for why the artist(s) is endemic of protest music, what makes them popular (commercial), how the 10 songs communicate both individually and as a body of work, and why it’s in the best interests of the company to back and sell this messaging. How does your artist not only “reflect” the larger history of protest music but also embody, raise the stakes of, and even drive that larger story?
  • Length: 10 songs, each supported by one analytical paragraph, plus an introduction and conclusion
  • Submit: before class begins via Assignment #2 link on TritonEd, plus instructions to come
 
 
7  ::  02.23.18  ::  Punk and hip-hop
 
Read:
  1. Futrell, Robert, Pete Simi and Simon Gottschalk. (2006). “Understanding Music in Movements: The White Power Music Scene.” The Sociological Quarterly, 47(2), pp. 275-304.
  2. Berger, George. (2008). “ANOK4U2?” In The Story of Crass. Oakland: Omnibus, pp. 1-10.
  3. Marcus, Greil. (1993). “The Clash” and “Gang of Four.” In Ranters and Crowd Pleasers: Punk in Pop Music, 1977-92. New York: Anchor, pp. 27-33, 50-53.
  4. Marcus, Greil. (1979). “Punk.” Available here
  5. Garofalo, Reebee. (1993). “Black Popular Music: Crossing Over or Going Under?” In Rock and Popular Music: Politics, Policies, Institutions, Tony Bennett, Simon Frith, Lawrence Grossberg, John Shepherd, and Graeme Turner (eds.). London & New York: Routledge, pp. 229-245.
  6. Bonnette, Lakeyta M. (2015). “Beyond the Music: Black Feminism and Rap Music.” In Pulse of the People: Political Rap Music and Black Politics. Philadelphia: U Pennsylvania Press, pp. 75-102.
  7. Shank, Barry. (1996). “Fears of the White Unconscious: Music, Race, and Identification in the Censorship Of ‘Cop Killer.’” Radical History Review, 66, pp. 124-145.
  8. Asante Jr., M.K. “It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop: Time Line (1965-1991)” and “Old White Men (or, Who Owns Hip-Hop?).” In It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop: The Rise of the Post-Hip-Hop Generation. New York: St. Martin’s, pp. 75-122.
  9. Stapleton, Katina R. (1998). “From the margins to mainstream: The political power of hip-hop.” Media Culture Society, 20, pp. 219-234.
 
Listen: Week 7 playlist
 
Optional extra readings/viewings:
 
8  ::  03.02.18  ::  The 1980s and mega-events
 
Read:
  1. Garofalo, Reebee. (1993). “Understanding Mega-Events.” Peace Review, 5(2), pp. 189-198.
  2. Street, John, Seth Hague and Heather Savigny. (2007). “Playing to the Crowd: The Role of Music and Musicians in Political Participation.” The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 10(2), pp. 269-285.
  3. Marcus, Greil. (1993). “Yes Nukes.” In Ranters and Crowd Pleasers: Punk in Pop Music, 1977-92. New York: Anchor, pp. 141-145.
  4. Williams, Paul. (1992). “What the 60s Had the 80s Don’t.” In The Penguin Book of Rock Writing, Clinton Heylin (ed.). London: Viking, pp. 116-123.
  5. Goodyer, Ian. (2009). “Introduction.” In Crisis Music: The Cultural Politics of Rock Against Racism. Manchester and New York: Manchester U Press, pp. 1-9.
  6. Ullestad, Neal. (1987). “Rock and rebellion: Subversive effects of Live Aid and ‘Sun City.’” Popular Music 6(1), pp. 67-76.
 
Listen: Week 8 playlist
 
 
9  ::  03.09.18  ::  Student conferences
 
Class will not convene today. Instead, students will meet with me individually to discuss plans and process for completing the final project, plus any other topics from class discussion.

Sign-up sheet will be circulated in class on week 8.

Optional extra readings (from our reduced nationalism discussion):  

10  ::  03.16.18  ::  Nationalism, the 1990s, Occupy Wall Street
 
  1. Kreiss, Daniel & Zeynep Tufekci. (2013). “Occupying the Political: Occupy Wall Street, Collective Action, and the Rediscovery of Pragmatic Politics.” Cultural Studies, Critical Methodologies, 13(3), pp. 163-167.
  2. Forman, Murray. (2002). “Soundtrack to a Crisis: Music, Context, Discourse.” Television & New Media, 3(2), pp. 191-204.
  3. Pekacz, Jolanta. (1994). “Did rock smash the wall? The role of rock in political transition.” Popular Music, 13(1), pp. 41-49.
  4. Bohlman, Philip V. (2004). Selection from “Music and Nationalism: Why Do We Love to Hate Them?” In The Music of European Nationalism: Cultural Identity and Modern History. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, pp. 1-13.
 
Listen: Week 10 playlist
 
Optional extra reading:
 
Final  ::  03.23.18 
 
DUE: Assignment #3 — Final project
Choose one of the following options:
 
Write: This course has surveyed several time periods and broad music genres, but countless subgenres and street-level movements remain to be examined within the basic framework of defining and critiquing social messaging via popular music. Select a subgenre not covered in-depth in class (EDM? death metal? MTV? — and, get specific as possible: Brazilian EDM? Swedish death metal? the subtle politics of MTV’s “120 Minutes”?). Write a thorough critical history of its existence, its chief artists, and its overall messaging. You must apply significant theory from the readings to support your claims.
  • Length: 10 pages (2,500 words)
  • Submit: before 9 a.m. Friday, March 23, via Assignment #3 link on TritonEd
 
Report: Identify an artist or a related group of artists (no more than three) significant to the themes of this course. Conduct an in-depth interview with the artist(s) in which you discuss their history, their artistic process, and the multiple methods and multiple contexts through which they have communicated topical messages, as well as to what degrees of (commercial and artistic) success they think they’ve achieved doing so. Engage with the artist(s) in conversation about specific theories from the course (even, and maybe especially, if they think they’re academic hogwash!). Write your interview(s) as a single piece of critical arts journalism, as if this were to be published by a major national music outlet. You must apply significant theory from the readings to support your claims.
  • Pre-approval: You must gain my approval of the artist you intend to interview before March 1, verbally or via email.
  • Length: 10 pages (2,500 words)
  • Submit: before 9 a.m. Friday, March 23, via Assignment #3 link on TritonEd
 
Create: Write and record a song that protests against, advocates for, or raises awareness of a social issue. This must be a new, original composition of sole individual authorship, in any style, with music played and/or programmed by you and a complete lyric (at least five verses, plus chorus and/or refrain). Create the song with specific course themes in mind. Record your performance on audio (to submit an .mp3 file) or video (to link to). Then write a short paper explaining in exquisite detail the specific course themes that apply to the construction and potential reception of this piece of music. Into what genre and historical era might this song fit (or defy)? Into what performance context(s) might this song best be presented? What other messaging about this issue exists in the culture, and exactly what makes your song an effective contribution to that effort? You must apply significant theory from the readings to support your claims.
  • Length: 1 song, plus a paper of 5-6 pages (1,250-1,500 words)
  • Submit: before 9 a.m. Friday, March 23 — email a link to your song, and submit your text via Assignment #3 link on TritonEd