Syl 99



American Studies 235

Social History of Popular Music

Office Hours: TBA

TAs: Destiny Easler, Ryan Deneen, Challyn Fishman

Wheatley 5-61

Phone 7-6775

e-mail: jeffrey.melnick@umb.edu

The Course:

This course aims to introduce students to a number of methods for approaching the study of the history of popular music. We will be interested in production (the forces of technology, business, and individual and collective effort responsible for making music), consumers (the individual people and communities listening to, dancing to, and buying—or otherwise acquiring!—popular music) and the actual texts of popular music. While the class is not organized in a strict chronological sense, we will, at all times, keep our eyes trained on historical context: why did this musical conversation, that genre, this new format for listening to music emerge at its particular moment? Who participated in the development of it? What was at stake? This is not a survey of the evolution of American popular music–it is a thematically-organized investigation of how popular music works. The central claim of the course is that to study the “social history” of American popular music successfully, we have to engage in an interdisciplinary study of American social history in a much broader sense. Doing so deepens our understanding of the music and our understanding of the overall landscape of American history. This syllabus should be taken as a work in progress: we will make changes to it as becomes necessary.

Course Objectives:

• To introduce students to the core necessity of studying popular music as an element of American social history

• To develop tools for understanding the role played by popular music in larger social conversations about race, gender, and national identity

• To investigate how innovations in technology and business practice have helped to shape the contours of American popular music production and reception

• To explore how particular audiences and subcultures for popular music developed and came to exert a powerful influence on cultural and political life in the United States

• To identify resources and methods for the close reading of individual songs, artists, and institutions

• To engage in individual study about the meaning of music for a broad array of popular music listeners

• To begin to map out some important moments in the history of modern popular music in Boston

I am experimenting with a new approach to syllabus-making this term, an approach that is responsive to how things are actually going in class. As such, I will only lay out the first few weeks of assignments here. As you will see I have a general sense of major topics/periods/questions I want us to engage with, but I also want to be responsive to your interests. The class starts with some business: how we are running the course, what our basic theoretical orientation will be and so on. But then I want us to do a mini-unit on the Most Recent Social History of Popular Music—a quick dive into how the music world has responded to the crises of COVID and police brutality/the Black Lives Matter movement. We will meet together (“synchronous”) once a week on Mondays at 4. Our other time will be used engaging a variety of activities (“asynchronous) which will enhance our learning, encourage various kinds of conservations, and so on. I am trying a few different approaches and always open to hearing from you about what you think is working well/less well. And of course I’m open to ideas from you for activities I haven’t thought of!

Ungrading: The other thing to notice up top is that I don’t grade in a traditional way: mostly I find that the whole question of grading gets in the way of learning, so for the past couple of years I’ve been experimenting with something that people in academia have been referring to as #ungrading. More on that soon! For now, here is one of the best things I’ve read about #ungrading. Please read it asap. . Your first homework assignment is simply to write a a paragraph about the Stommel piece that summarizes a few of his main arguments about why he doesn’t give traditional grades, and then offers up some of your own personal feedback: Does this seem like a good plan? What worries do you have about this approach? What hopes?

Attendance and Participation: One of our main tasks is to develop as many useful modes as we can to engage with the material of the course and the people who make up the class. The first commitment is to attend class regularly, ready to learn from each other. You must attend class consistently and be prepared by doing the reading, listening, and viewing I have assigned. This is a course that requires a good bit of reading, plenty of listening, and some viewing. You must commit to all. Please check your @umb email regularly; I will assume you will get messages I send there promptly--and they will sometimes have readings and other materials attached.

You don't need to tell me why you are absent once or twice: If you must miss a class, ask your fellow students to help you catch up or see if your teaching assistant is available to meet that week. I cannot repeat any information that was already provided during scheduled sessions for individual students who did not attend. You should contact me if you have an ongoing challenge that is making it difficult for you to get to class and/or keep up with the work. (See grading guide for more details on all this.)

Participation in class can take various forms, including joining in discussions in class and on this site, sending observations and questions to me by email after you’ve completed a reading or listening assignment and doing extra credit assignments as they are offered. I know that not everybody feels naturally comfortable speaking in class; please let me know how I can help you get more ready to participate in class if you know this to be true about yourself. I'll encourage us to talk during the first few weeks of the course about how to best get you into the conversation. I also want to encourage you strongly to post on our "musicking" blog on this site, above and beyond what is required. I encourage you to be here on time. When here, do what you need to be fully present. Try to put away other screens, if you can, and close all those tabs you have had open on your laptop!

What is most important to me is that we develop a culture of respectful attentiveness. When we have guests come to class, as we will a number of times, it is especially important to me that you are in class, truly present and responsive.

I should also note here that we will be listening to music and watching clips that include potentially upsetting material. There will be images and sounds that might be challenging for you to sit with: you are always welcome to excuse yourself from class as needed or to let me of your TA know if you are struggling with any of the course texts.

Platforms: We will use three main platforms for class—Wordpress as our landing site, Padlet (for doing presentations, etc.—sign up here ), and Hypothesis (for doing group annotations—sign up here ). Don’t panic about any of this: we will do whatever it takes to make sure you feel comfortable with each.

Falling Behind? It happens to all of us at some point. Keep coming to class. No one will be judging you. I don't need to see doctor's notes or pictures of your vehicle being towed. I just need you to tell me (or your teaching assistant) what is going on, in broad outlines. We will help point you to sources of support and try to figure out healthy routes to catching up.

Disability Accommodations: Section 504 and the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 offer guidelines for curriculum modifications and adaptations for students with documented disabilities. Students may obtain adaptation recommendations from the Lillian Semper Ross Center (617-287-7430). They must present these recommendations to each professor by the end of the Add/Drop period.

Childcare Emergencies: Childcare can fall through. Boston and Somerville public schools are notorious for shutting down if the wind picks up a little. Feel free to bring your child to class if this happens if you think you can concentrate and your child can live through the experience without being too miserable. Maybe sit near the door in case your child gets antsy or noisy? (That is what I usually write on my class syllabus but it now seems….irrelevant? All I want to say is I know many of you are facing all kinds of challenges having to do with attending class and having a quiet space to do it. Let me know, as you feel comfortable, what your challenges are and if/how I can help.)

Student Security and Safety: Any student whose performance in class is affected by food or housing insecurity issues or any kind of health challenges is encouraged to contact me or to utilize the various resources listed here. Having access to safe and stable housing, sufficient food, and affordable health care are basic human rights.

Plagiarism and Academic Honesty:The University’s full statement on academic honesty can be found at is no shame in, or penalty for, asking me questions about what constitutes plagiarism. My sense is that the advent of Wikipedia and other sites that rely on user-generated content has muddied the waters with respect to what counts as “original” work. My main interest is that this class contributes to your evolving understanding of academic protocols regarding proper use and citation of the work of other people. If any of your work raises concerns for the teaching assistants or for me, our first step will be to invite you to a meeting to discuss your process in completing the assignment. That will help us figure out how to resolve any remaining issues.

INTRODUCTIONS:

1/25 Why Study Popular Music? And How Should We Do It?

Who are “we”? And how does music help us figure that out?

How does this class work (Best-case scenarios? Contingency plans?)

As noted up top, here is the first reading:



The other thing to read for next Monday is truly the key text of the whole class Christopher Small’s “Musicking”



2/1: Producer, Text, Audience: Three ways to get at the music

HW1 due: One Paragraph response to Stommel

We will spend time with Small’s essay this week—in class and will have some asynchronous annotating work to do with the essay in our asynchronous time.

HW2 due by midweek: On Christopher Small

Participate in your section’s group annotation of Small

ADD/DROP ENDS

UNIT 1: Music in the Age of Two Pandemics

In this brief early unit we will read some articles about popular music production in the era of COVID/quarantine and BLM/police brutality.

2/8: Rallies, Sea Shanties, Crystal Visions

Read these and do Homework 3

Join padlet for your section to discuss these in more detail

1. BLM and the Current Political Landscape

Pendarvis Harshaw, “The Pandemic, The Protests, and the Police”



Dan Spinelli, “Trump Supporters Came to Philly to Stop the Vote…”



Gustavus, Stadtler, “This Land Is … whose land?: The history of Woody Guthrie’s song”



2. COVID, Crystal Visions, and Sea Shanties

Rebecca Renner, “Everyone’s Singing Sea Shanties..>”



@NomeDaBarbarian’s thread on twitter (just the main thread but feel free to clink links and go deeper!)

l

Kiese Laymon, “Now Here We Go Again, We See the Crystal Visions”



2/22: Close Up on Boston 1: A Visit with Akrobatik

See Homework 4 assignment on our website for reading, listening, and written assignment.

UNIT 2: Race, Class, and Gender, and the History of American Music

Following our opening mini-unit we will take a deep dive into the social forces and cultural forms that have shaped American popular music. Beginning with Blackface minstrelsy in the 1840s, American popular music has always been shot through with the very complex conversations about race, class, and gender. Starting here, we will focus our attention on a few major 20th century figures (possibly including Billie Holiday, Lauryn Hill and others) to explore how particular musical icons “carry” these conversations to a broad public. For the unit assignment, you will “curate” an icon unit of your own; pick another icon who you think helps us think about matters about race, class, and gender. You will bring together images, sounds, videos, and an analysis of why you think that icon is worth our attention. Due mid March.

March 1: Reckoning with Blackface Minstrelsy

Read Chapter 1 of Yuval Taylor and Jake Austin, Darkest America (You can read this all on google books). Do Homework 5 on the website.

Watch Marlon Riggs, Ethnic Notions (available through the UMB library site). Do Homework 6 on the website.

March 8: Visit from Shepherdess! International Women’s Day—Reading, listening and writing assignment on Homework 7 on the website.

March 22: Race, Gender, and Iconicity: The Case of Billie Holiday

Reading, listening, viewing about Billie Holiday and writing on Homeworks 8 and 9 on the website

Read Chapter 2 of Farah Jasmine Griffin’s book on Billie Holiday available here (you have to cut and paste the link—for some reason it won’t work to click on it.)



Week of March 23: Race, Class, Gender and an Icon: First Unit Assignment Due

UNIT 3: Audiences, Scenes, Collectors

In this section we will think about how people listen to music and form community around it. We will return to Christopher Small's essay on musicking as a way to launch into a deep exploration of the “reception” side of popular music history. What are the dimensions of race, region, class, gender, and sexuality that shape the building of these communities. What is the difference between a “consumer” and a fan? How do you make a scene? In addition to lots of reading, listening and viewing, your major task here will be to complete a multigenerational fan study. Due Early April

March 30: Fandom: How Do We Approach It

Read Roy Shuker, Understanding Popular Music, Chapter 11

Read Baym on Fandom (here):

Homework 10 on website

April 5: The Cases of Riot Grrrl and the Rat

Watch: Don’t Need You: The Herstory of Riot Grrrl

Read: Alison Yarrow, “How the Riot Grrrl Movement Sold the World on Girl Power”



Read Brett Milano, “Let’s Go to the Rat” (posted on website too)

Homework 11 on website

Homework 12 on website

Multigenerational Fan Study due next week

UNIT 4: How to Read a Song: Texts and Contexts

Here we turn to some key texts of popular music history—you know them as “songs”! The basic premise here is that songs don't just have inherent meaning—they exist in a social world. Our work in this unit is to consider the many ways that songs come to signify in the world. How do they do their job? Who shapes the meanings of these texts? Crucial here will be an exploration of how social opposition of particular songs play a major role in the creation of meaning.

For the unit assignment, you will construct a “biography of a song.” Choose a song to analyze, explain its historical importance, and examine how the song makes its meaning. What does it say, and/or how does it exist in the world (this can be over time as well: how does this song serve various generations?). Due late April

April 12: Two Songs: “Despacito” and “Dancing in the Street”

Watch: Motor City’s Burning

Read Rollo Romig, “Dancing in the Street”

AND

Read Wayne Marshall, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Despacito”

Homework 13-15 on website

April 19: Patriots Day—no class

Try to have Unit 3 assignment—“Biography of a Song” done by April 26 or so

UNIT 5: Streams and Platforms: Music and Technology

Finally, we turn to the subject that maybe we should have started with: the business (and technology) of music. To invoke a term that gets thrown around a whole lot in our time, the music industry has been experiencing a major “disruption” in the past decade or so. But our study here might incline us to question whether the music business—and the technological change that energizes the business—is always in a state of disruption. For the unit assignment, you will imagine what a business plan would look like for an artist who has broken through in a major way in the past 10 years or so. Due mid May

April 26: Cat Zhang visit to discuss Tik Tok and popular music

May 3:

May 10:

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