MUSIC 2372 - Songs of the Summer: Social Histories of U.S. Popular Music

(crosslisted) AMST 2372, FGSS 2372
(ALC-AS, CA-AS, SCD-AS)

Summer. 3 credits. Student option grading.

C. Appert.

This course takes a selection of hit “songs of the summer” from the past fifty years as entry points into pivotal moments in U.S. history. Popular music not only reflects social issues; it also shapes public perception and at can fuel social change, from contexts ranging from the civil rights movement, to US imperialist projects, to the HIV/AIDs crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, movements like BlackLivesMatter and MeToo, and struggles for trans rights. (HC)