SOC 389-006: Spec Tops In Sociology: Music in Amer: Changing Lndsc. (Spring 2011)

This seminar deals with the place of music in everyday life, noting how it both shapes and is shaped by the American context.  Music plays an important role in the lives of many Americans. In this seminar, we focus on the interplay between the musical and the social. We do so by paying attention to how music “gets into” everyday life and, in the process, shapes both the people involved with it and the music itself. Dealing with the past and present—as well as music that ranges from “folk” and “popular” to “classical”—we will focus each week on a particular topic relevant to the American context. These topics will include the range of rituals associated with music, the evolving settings in which music is found and disseminated, the trajectory of various musical genres, and the tastes and passions of music fans.

Exploration of these topics will be guided by a sociologist (Dowd) and by the conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, who is also Emory’s Distinguished Artist in Residence (Spano). Consequently, this seminar is different from any previously offered by the Sociology Department, and it presents an unusual opportunity for students interested in matters of music.