MU 104-World Music
MU227/FE133-Emotion and Meaning in the Music of Western Civilization
PS101/MU227: Great Ideas in Politics and Music-Political
Science/Music
Blocks I & II: Victoria Levine
The course as a whole meets two units of Critical Perspectives: Diverse Cultures and Critiques.
This course explores the role of music in the fascinating cultures
of Bali, Native North America, Africa,
Ireland, India, and Japan. Students develop an appreciation of the rich and
meaningful musical traditions
the members of these cultures have developed and learn to interpret music
and performance events using
interdisciplinary methods. Working with musicians from the cultures represented,
students learn to
perform songs and instrumental music from Bali, Ireland, and Zimbabwe and
perform a public recital of
world music on authentic instruments. Students further enhance their musical
skills through creative,
analytical, and research projects. The course addresses both historic and
new musical repertories, including
popular music. No prior musical background is necessary.
This course meets the ethnomusicology requirement for the Music minor.
A two-block course taught by one instructor; one grade will
be given for the course as a whole.
Block I: Michael Grace, MU227/FE133, Emotion and Meaning in
the Music of Western Civilization
Block II: Ofer Ben-Amots, MU227/FE133, Emotion and Meaning in the Music of
Western Civilization
The course as a whole meets Critical Perspectives: The West in Time (2 units).
During the history of classical music in Western culture, some composers have
focused primarily on the expression of feelings while others have sought to
create beauty in the intrinsic meaning of the music itself. In fact, music
history is often seen as the swing of a pendulum from periods of intense personal
romanticism to ones which exhibit a classical balance between artistic form
and expression. This course will focus on periods of radical change in our
musical heritage, such as the outburst of romanticism in the early 19th Century
when the music of Chopin, Berlioz and Liszt seemed to trump that of Mozart
and Beethoven, or the emergence of “Modernism” in the early 20th
Century when the music of Stravinsky and Schoenberg superseded that of Mahler
and Debussy. The course will end with living composers who respond to the
world as we know it today.
In addition to musical literature, we will examine the political,
philosophical and cultural contexts within which the composers worked. We
will use music as a window into the lives and cultures of past generations;
these experiences often help us understand our own world and our place in
history. Students do not need to have prior musical training or experience
to participate in this course.
A two-block course with one instructor in each block; one grade will be given
for the course as a whole.
Block I: Professor Tom Cronin, PS 101, What is Politics?
Meets one unit of Social Science divisional credit.
Block II: Dr. Tania Cronin, MU 227, Topics in Music: Music and Society
Meets one unit of humanities divisional credit.
Block I is an introduction to the great ideas and debates of Western political thought from Plato and Thucydides to Machiavelli, John Locke and Martin Luther King. What is power? What is justice? What is leadership? What is democracy? What is politics? Students will read several plays and original texts, view a few films, and discuss and debate competing theories of how people govern and are governed. This is a writing and discussion-intensive seminar. Week 3 of Block I will include 4 days at the Baca Campus (away from the CC campus).
Block II is an introduction to great masterpieces of classical music, from Bach and Beethoven to Steve Reich and Philip Glass. This course does not require any background in music. Students will read and discuss a variety of theories about the political and cultural values expressed in music. How does music reflect the power structures of society? How does music create desire? How are the values of the Enlightenment, or of totalitarianism, or of democracy reflected in music? By the end of the block, students should have a deeper appreciation of selected masterpieces of classical music, as well as the ways in which music and society are connected. This is a writing and listening-intensive course.
Two one-block courses that must be taken together, with two instructors; separate grades will be assigned for each block.