MUSC 970.002, Graduate Seminar in Ethnomusicology: Music, Technology, and Culture
Professor Mark Katz
Tuesdays, 2:00-4:50 pm
From the earliest instruments to the latest electronic means of manipulating and disseminating sound, the tools and systems of human creation have had a profound influence on the development of music. Much of the discourse on music, however, tends to treat technologies as invisible, mere mediators through which music passes from creator to listener. Yet technology not only mediates, but also shapes music and influences music makers. This course will range across, time, culture, genre, and media to investigate the impact of technology on the musical life of the world. The following questions will guide discussion:
What is the nature of the relationship between musical agents (listeners, performers, composers, etc.) and technology?
What cultural priorities and value systems are revealed in the way musical agents interact with technology?
How have new forms of making and experiencing music arisen out of this interaction and how have existing musical practices changed?