The course will explore youth culture and popular music in Central Eurasia from the perspectives of history, cultural studies and ethnomusicology. The primary objectives of the course are to introduce the study of Central Eurasia, to track the emergence and importance of the concept of youth, and to examine the roles that youth music and culture have played in the region throughout the final years of the 20th century. This course will examine the ways in which youth and youth-oriented music and popular culture have played integral roles in the radical transformations that have been taking place in Central Eurasia in the past decade, and how they relate with larger, more global cultural trends.

The course will focus on three very different nations within Central Eurasia: Hungary, Uzbekistan and Mongolia. The materials we will use in the course are mostly from books and articles, but we will also use videotaped documentaries and feature films, audio recordings, and photographs as well as make use of the Internet. The lecture-style format will be varied by in-class assignments or discussions, guest speakers, and possibly a field trip to a relevant museum exhibit or concert.

The course will begin by introducing some of the different concepts of Central Eurasia including those ideas that help bind together its many different peoples and nations. It will then introduce and examine important themes and developments first in the context of Soviet society (and usually Moscow), and follow their movement outward to the nations in question.

Grading: grade for the course is determined by: journal (20 points for meeting 10 ungraded entry requirements); attendance and participation (10 points); mid-term and final exams (40 points); 10- 15 page research paper (30 points).

Days and Time: Tuesday and Thursday, 4:00-5:15.