The Arts: World Music

This course introduces students to world music concepts, highlighting both similarities and differences in the character, methods, objectives, major stylists, and functional significance of music in diverse cultures. Coursework enhances listening abilities and critical thinking. The course includes directed listening, video viewing, and performance attendance. Selected readings and in-class demonstrations by expert musicians inform seminar-style discussions of the aesthetic, musicological, socioeconomic and political implications, history, and development of music originating outside North America as well as their manifestations in the U.S. No previous experience with music is required, though students with advanced knowledge are welcomed.