Course Offerings
Our curriculum has recently undergone a big expansion! For the most up-to-date course offerings visit the University’s catalog, and to explore the new Transformations in Music Studies curriculum click here.
MUSC 143 Introduction to Rock Music: A survey of rock music styles, focusing primarily on the period 1955 to 1990. Music by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Police, Madonna, and others.
MUSC 144 Introduction to Country Music: A survey and investigation of country music from 1920 to the present. Music of Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Garth Brooks, and others.
MUSC 145 Introduction to Jazz: A survey of jazz music from its origins to the present. The course builds skills in critical listening and blends discussion of musical materials and historical and cultural contexts.
MUSC 147 Introduction to Latin(o) American Music: An introduction to contemporary Latin(o) American popular music, focusing on how musicians have negotiated an increasingly global popular culture industry.
MUSC 148 Introduction to Black Music: An introduction to black musical cultures with a focus on understanding how music is made within social, geographical, and political contexts. The course includes experiential learning, live concert attendance, and conversations with practicing musicians in various musical traditions.
MUSC 155 The Art and Culture of the DJ: An exploration of the important, often misunderstood role of the DJ in modern musical life, with particular attention to the ways in which DJing challenges traditional notions of music, musicianship, and musical instruments. Guest lectures, demonstrations, and tutorials by visiting DJs form a significant component of the course.
MUSC 156 Beat Making Lab: An introductory hands-on study of the composition of electronic instrumental tracks for hip-hop and dance music. Students make beats, learn about the history and culture of the art form, and examine beat making as a case study in entrepreneurship.
MUSC 157 Rap Lab: A hands-on study of the art of emceeing. Students engage in a rigorous lyricism curriculum, developing the skills to write, recite, and improvise lyrics in live and recorded settings. Students also explore the history of hip-hop culture and analyze the aesthetics of emcees from around the world.
MUSC 158 Rock Lab: An introduction to issues of performance practice in rock music and related styles and genres including, but not limited to, soul, funk, new wave, and punk. Through intensive coaching and rehearsal students learn performance, transcription, arranging, and improvisation.
MUSC 239 Introduction to Music Technology: A practical study of selected aspects of computerized music technology, including one or more of music-notation software, MIDI sequencing, digital sound production and storage, and computer composition.
MUSC 280 Jazz Innovators: May not count for music or general elective credit for music majors. Musical, historical, cultural, and social issues in jazz studied through the examination of innovative and influential jazz artists.
MUSC 281 Popular Song in American Culture: The relationship between popular song and culture in American society is explored by focusing on an important historical repertoire or interpretive theme.
MUSC 286 Music as Culture: May be repeated for credit if on a different topic. Music in the framework of its social, political, economic, and cultural contexts. (May be applied to popular music emphasis when offered on a popular music topic.)
MUSC 333 Analysis of Popular Music: Analysis and transcription of blues, rock, ballads, and jazz, with an emphasis on rock music since 1955. Prerequisites, MUSC 132 and 232.
MUSC 355 History and Culture of Music: Course will address a particular genre, composer, compositional issue, or repertoire, including non-Western and popular musics. Subject matter will vary with the instructor. May be repeated for credit if on a different topic. Prerequisite, MUSC 254. (May be applied to popular music emphasis when offered on a popular music topic.)