This course examines some of the myriad ways in which gender, class, and race
have impacted both classical and popular music in the West. We will read a
range of current scholarship demonstrating contrasting philosophical, analytical,
and critical approaches to studying the social history of music, and explore selected topics focusing on certain composers, performers, and/or repertories germane to the subject. Topics may include, among other things, a comparison of
the life and works of Clara and Robert Schumann, the life and music of the
Blues queens in the early twentieth century, Bizet's opera Carmen, Schubert and
Tchaikovsky as gay composers, and Madonna.
Format: lecture/discussion, twice per week. Evaluation will be based on class
participation, several short papers, and a final project.