AMST 350(F) Jazz, the City, and the Gender of Race*

This course explores the dynamic influence of cities on the development of jazz as an art form. It also examines how jazz performers articulate a sense of themselves as raced and gendered subjects based on their experiences of the city and as musicians. We will use the following questions as a starting point for our investigation: How does the meaning of jazz as a black music change over time? In what ways do the freedoms and restrictions of the city impact on musicians' ability to perform? When do women figure in our constructions of jazz history? What do the stories men tell of themselves teach us about musicians? We will draw on historical, musical, literary, theoretical, biographical, and autobiographical texts for our study. Evaluation will be based on one short paper and a 15- to 20-page term paper. Enrollment limited to 20.

Hour: RUSTIN