Radical Musics: Understanding Sounds of Defiance across Disciplines

Overview

This module will bring together staff from a wide range of disciplinary fields including anthropology, history, philosophy, musicology, cultural studies, and arts management, in an examination of popular and experimental music in different historical and cultural contexts. Key themes will include a focus on aesthetics of ‘extremeness’, sounds of resistance and protest, subcultural capital, musical fusion and globalisation, and performances of feminism and masculinity. In particular, lectures will engage with case studies such as: the evolution of Black Feminism in music from the early blues to recent pop, Krautrock and the 1968 countercultural scene in Germany, German Techno, experimental art and pop music, Noise, rave, Metal, World-jazz fusions and free jazz.

Learning Objectives

On completion of this module, students will:

• be familiar with critical theory across a range of disciplines associated with the study of music and sound
• be able to recognise and critically assess a variety of music/sound cultures
• understand how performance and aesthetics impacts the construction of sociocultural identities and political circumstances
• be able engage with fundamental philosophical questions and arguments about the nature and limits of music, sound and noise
• have written critical texts engaging with academic and popular debates about diverse music scenes
• be able to employ different media (online forums, performances, roundtables/workshops, video logs, visual material) in interactive critical discussions with peers, artists, and wider audiences
• have experience in organising, managing, and promoting musical events for the general public

Skills

 Academic reading and writing
 Oral communication of theoretical and ethnographic data
 Media literacy and criticism
 Effective presentation of written work
 Critical reflection on popular culture
 Practical understanding of organising events and engaging with creators/artists
 Creative work with electronic audio/visual media.

Assessment