M-F, 2:35 PM-3:50 PM, SY 0013

Instructor: Sarah Florini
E-Mail: sflorini@indiana.edu
Office: Mottier Hall 267
Phone: 855-6405

Sociological and ethnographic studies over the past twenty-five
years have revealed commercially produced popular music as
integrally tied to individual and group identities. But, this music
does not come to us on its own; it is deeply influenced by the
technology and media that are the means for music's production and
circulation. This interdisciplinary course examines the manner in
which the production and circulation of popular music influence our
understanding of the music that is central in our individual,
everyday lives. The course will draw on communications, cultural
studies, media studies, musicology, and ethnomusicology to provide
the tools with which we will begin to examine our own experience
with commercially produced popular music.

The course is divided into four units—I. Technology and Industry,
II. Circulation, III. Identity and Group Affiliations, and IV. Texts
and Interpretations. Units I and II fall roughly under the rubric
of "production." Here we will examine the development of music
technology and look at its related media (radio, music video, and
the popular music press) to find how both impact how we experience
and understand popular music. Units III and IV tackle issues of our
consumption of popular music. Here the class focuses on the audience
and the links between popular music, group affiliations (e.g.,
racial, ethnic, and subcultural groups) and identity.

The goal of this course is not only to introduce you to some of the
significant contemporary theories and issues in popular music
studies, but also to examine our own relationships to/with popular
music. No musical training is required for the course.