Music, Society, and Culture
This course introduces students to the music of a variety of world areas. For each unit, students examine a diverse array of genres, analyzing music's relationship to religious life, aesthetics, politics, social organization, and identity. We also discuss the impact of globalization, transnationalism and immigration on the shaping and transformation of musical practice and meaning in each region. Reading materials, listening assignments, and discussion topics are supplemented by in-class performance workshops, designed to give students firsthand experience in non-Western performance traditions. The course will give attention to the music of El Movimiento (the Chicano/a/e movement) of the Rocky Mountain region. This course counts toward the Analytical Inquiry: Society and Culture requirement.
Social Movements
The study of social movements is fundamentally the study of how and why groups collectively try to make social change. In order to explore these theoretical questions, we will examine some of the historic watersheds of social movements in the U.S. (including labor, civil rights, and feminist struggles), their more contemporary manifestations, and other important contemporary movements such as global justice movements, racial justice, and LGBTQI* movements.
Audio Documentaries
Audio Documentaries covers the technical, creative, and ethical aspects of podcasting as a form of audio nonfiction storytelling in the digital space.
Producing Video for Social Media
This course provides participants with a basic understanding of video production. Video is arguably the most engaging form of communication in that it involves both auditory and visual cues and draws on emotions in order to create meaning.
Digital Anthropology
This course introduces students to the theories and methods necessary for doing research in digital anthropology.