HMS-590B Topics in Music: The Idea of Black

3 Credits

Do we know black music when we hear it? When we hear it as part of narrative (ie: in film, opera, or commercials), how does black music function symbolically? What challenges does sound pose to the accepted wisdom in semiotics? In addition to listening to music by black performers and composers, we will be reading critical works about music across fields such as musicology, film theory, black studies, and literature.