EGL 306 - Jr. Seminar (Spring): The Beatles, Motown, and Taylor Swift

Course Units: 1.0

This is a course on the cultural politics of popular music. Since pop music is, by definition, ephemeral - shaped by and to some degree shaping the attitudes of a particular time and place - it can offer insights into what those attitudes were. On the contrary, some pop music transcends its cultural milieu, thus revealing something deeper about our culture in general. The Beatles, the most influential and still the most popular band of the rock era, offer one example; the musicians of Motown and other predominantly African-American recording platforms like Stax-Volt, without whom there would be no Beatles, offer another. After examining the lasting contributions of these artists as a foundation, we will, in the last weeks of the term, look at more contemporary pop musicians and their impact. Taylor Swift will be the focus, but students may nominate their own candidates (Beyonce? Rihanna? The Replacements?) for pop immortality and impact as well. Prerequisite(s): One 100-level and two 200-level English courses or instructor’s permission. CC: HUL, HUM, WAC-R Note: No musical knowledge is required for this course. An ability to keep time and notice stand-out musical elements (key modulations, odd or interesting chords) would be useful but is not required. If you can play a bit, though, feel free to do so.