MU321 Popular and World Music

This course puts side by side what is known as “World” music with various forms of “Popular” music, not exclusively focused on the western cultural hegemony. Our intent is to study the similarities and differences in these parallel yet interconnected musical forces, and discover how the culture, history and tradition of a place can influence the kinds of musical expression which becomes popular. Examples of the music we will study include: K-Pop, Tuvan Throat Singing, Reggae, Arabic Rap, Hindustani Music, and Delta Blues. We will attempt an understanding of a music’s cultural and historical context, and then step back to see how it fits into an immensely diverse musical world.