Africa astounds with its geographic expanse and its regional diversities.
Because of its rich cultural heritage, we see today an extraordinary
vitality in the performing arts.  The course begins with an introduction to
African artistic expression and a survey of our knowledge about African
music.  Then we move to focus on themes and issues that, crosscutting local
practices and sensibilities are important to an understanding of musical
performance in Africa.  Among these themes are notation and oral tradition,
timbral concepts, compositional practices, theory and technology, and dance.
Other themes have emerged from the movement of peoples within and beyond
Africa: intra-African streams of influence, Islam and its effect on music,
guitar performance, Kru seamen?s musical practice, Latin American
interchanges in Zairean popular music, and local interchange in Nigeria and
Ghana.

Students will be required to complete a mid-term exam that includes
listening examples and essay questions.  They will also be required to write
a paper of approximately twenty-five pages or construct a website on a topic
to be chosen in consultation with the course instructor.

Required Text:
Stone, Ruth M.  1999. Handbook for African Music. New York:  Garland
Publishing. Includes a CD with listening examples.