2013-2014 Academic Catalog

Apr 25, 2024

2013-2014 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

MUSC 210 - Seminar in Music History and Criticism

The Music History Seminar takes up specific topics and themes in music history that open onto larger cultural contexts and interdisciplinary lines of inquiry. The seminar is based on active discussion and student research with a depth and a focus not possible in a survey course, and will develop the student’s critical skills, as well as the ability to write and talk about music in meaningful ways. Seminar topics change each year. The course welcomes music majors and minors, as well as interested students from other disciplines. May be taken more than once for credit. MUSC 102 and/or MUSC 104 are recommended, but not required.

SPRING 2013 TOPIC: Jazz and Visual Media

Beginning with the first talking picture, The Jazz Singer, jazz and film have developed hand in hand. It is impossible to understand jazz without analyzing its role in film and television. The study of jazz enhances our understanding of broader trends in visual media. Modern artists, from Jackson Pollack to Arthur Dove, have used jazz as inspiration for their paintings and photographs. In this course, we will look at jazz as visual artists have used it, including the mediums of film, television, and fine arts. As we study album covers, biopics, cartoons, and anime, among other things, we will see how jazz has inspired artists and directors, and, in turn, see what their depictions say about jazz. We will get to know a number of jazz performers, their music, and how they have influenced visual artists and been represented on film. This course will combine non-specialist music analysis techniques with film studies and observations about works of fine art. It is not necessary to know anything about music to participate in class. Be prepared, however, to listen to recordings critically and delve into the visual media at hand.

Anticipated Terms Offered: Offered every year