This class is “Music and the Landscapes of the American West”.
Course description:
What does a desert sound like? How about a mountaintop? In this course we will address these questions by studying music that depicts, discusses, or is inspired by the natural landscapes of the American West, as well as how those landscapes figure into portrayals of the region and its people more broadly. Course topics include the music of Westerns, country music, attempts at populist classical music, Native American music, and environmental activism through music. Prior coursework in music or the ability to read music are not required.
*Final Essay*
This final essay will require a little more creativity and a little more research—but a little less writing! As we near the end of the semester, take some time to “zoom out” and consider all of the various topics we have discussed. Is there something you wish we would have studied, but did not? Perhaps a favorite landscape and/or genre of music that did not make it on to the syllabus? Or maybe there is a topic we did discuss, but that you feel could have warranted further time and attention?
Construct a hypothetical day of class on the topic of your choosing, making sure that the topic fits within the “Landscapes of the American West” framing of the course. “Assign” at least one listening selection and one reading and provide full details on where/how to access these assignments. Then, in 400–600 words, describe why you think these assignments would form the basis of an interesting class discussion. Be as detailed as possible in your description, outlining the themes and questions that you think would come up, and how they relate to the assigned reading and listening. Your topic may be an expansion of a topic we have covered in class, but your assigned materials cannot have already appeared on the syllabus.
Incorporate references to the assigned readings and/or class lectures as you see fit; if you do, be sure to include full citations in the format of your choosing (MLA, Chicago, etc). Submit your essay to bCourses by the beginning of class on Wednesday, April 10.