There’s never been a better time to be a music-loving college student.
In the mid-to-late aughts, an increasing number of educational institutions have begun to offer courses dedicated to major musical acts. Sometime late, Rap Maverick jay z Made headlines after becoming the subject of a Georgetown University course taught by sociologist and best-selling author Michael Eric Dyson. Jay-Z: Made in America, In Sociology of Hip Hop: Jay-Z, students analyzed Hova’s life, socio-cultural significance, and work.
It’s easy to see why students would be attracted to these courses – which fill up quickly and are often one-time only offers. The intersection of celebrity and sociology presents such fertile ground to explore, and often creates buzzy social media posts that can be a boon for nomination numbers. For example, Beyhivers are participating University of Texas at San Antonio Provided the opportunity to study the foundations of Black feminism Beyoncé‘S lemonade In 2016. meanwhile, Rutgers offered a course Dedicated to analyzing spiritual themes and imagination in Bruce Springsteenlist of.
Luckily for students eager to get a seat on these highly sought-after courses, institutions across the country are constantly launching new seminars and classes about famous pop stars and beloved music genres. since bad bunny To Harry StylesThe following list of popular music courses has something for every college-going music fan.
From his chart-topping hits to his advocacy work, Bad Bunny has been making waves on and off the stage since rising to fame in 2016. Now undergraduate students at San Diego State University can explore the cultural impact of the global superstar in an upcoming 2023 course.
“He speaks about Puerto Rico; he speaks about the Uvalde shooting victims and uses his platform to raise money and help them.” Said Dr. Nate Rodriguez, SDSU Associate Professor of Digital Media Studies. “How does he speak out against transphobia? Support the LGBTQ community? How does all of this happen? So yes, it’s very relevant to journalism and media studies and cultural studies. It’s all mixed into one.”
A deep dive into Taylor Swift’s songs
analysis of Taylor Swiftis a favorite pastime among Swifties, so it’s fitting that her work and its feminist themes have been the focus of many university courses over the years.
In spring 2022, Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University Launched an offering focused on the “anti-hero” singer’s evolution as an entrepreneur, race and female adolescence. The waitlist course – a first for the institute – attracted media and Swift attention received an honorary degree from NYU in 2022.
In the spring of 2023, honors students at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas can analyze the 12-time Grammy winner’s music and career in a seminar. Culture and Society – Taylor Swift,
The Story of Kendrick Lamar and the Power of Hip-Hop
since the fall good boy, mad city in 2012, Kendrick Lamar Has inspired several academics to develop classes and seminars around his lyrical content and storytelling, including one English class which combined his work with the work of James Baldwin and James Joyce.
Most recently, Concordia University announced that the 16-time Grammy winner will be the focus of The Power of Hip Hop, It’s Bigger Than Us, which will examine the lyrical themes of Lamar’s work, such as loyalty, fatherhood, class and racial injustice. There is a course.
“No artist speaks to this ethos more loudly and more intricately than King Kunta, Prince of Compton, Kendrick Lamar, 10 years later. good boy, mad city dropped it,” Said Yassin “Narcy” Alsalman, Montreal hip-hop artist and Concordia professor, who developed the class, which will launch in the winter of 2023. “He showed us that it’s okay to work on ourselves before the world and to find ourselves internally, that family always comes first, that community and collective mission are at the center of growth and that sometimes, you have to break free.”
EDM Production, Techniques and Applications
If you dream of hearing your own EDM tracks played at a huge music festival marshmallow, Steve Aoki And SkrillexEste All-in-One Course You’ve covered Berklee College of Music in Boston. Learn about the cultural origins of different EDM genres – like techno, trance, drum and bass and more – and about the techniques artists use to achieve these sounds.
Amidst thought-provoking cultural seminars, students will receive lessons on how to operate the technologies needed to create their own EDM masterpieces, including synths, digital audio workstations (DAWs) and samplers.
Harry Styles and the Cult of Celebrity
While many celebrity-focused courses focus on sociology harry’s house The singer/songwriter has inspired his own digital history course at Texas State University at San Marcos: Harry Styles and the Cult of Celebrity: Identity, the Internet, and European Pop Culture.
Developed by Dr Louis Dean Valencia during lockdown, the class will cover Styles’ music as well as topics such as gender, sexual identity and class – but the singer-songwriter’s personal life is off limits. Stylers who are lucky enough to enter a place on this first university course dedicated to their favorite can expect to revisit One Direction’s catalog for homework.
Dr. Valencia wrote in a letter, “I have always wanted to teach a history class that was fun, but also covered the period that students lived through and felt connected to.” twitter post, “By studying the art, activism, consumerism and fans surrounding Harry Styles, I think we’ll be able to approach some very relevant contemporary issues. I think it’s very important for young people to see what’s going on for them.” is important which should be reflected in their resume”
Global Hip Hop Culture: Hip Hop, Race, and Social Justice from South Central to South Africa
Since its inception, hip-hop has left an indelible mark on the world, influencing language, fashion, storytelling, and beyond. At the University of California Los Angeles, students can learn how the art has shaped young minds by analyzing different hip-hop scenes around the world.
As part of UCLA’s mission to establish the university as a leading center for hip-hop studies, UCLA’s Ralph J. The Bunch Center for African American Studies launched a hip-hop initiative, which includes an artist-in-residence program, digital archives, and a series. Postdoctoral fellowship. Chuck D.Founder of the barrier-breaking hip-hop group public Enemywas selected as the first artist-in-residence.
“As we celebrate 50 years of hip-hop musical and cultural history, a deeper study of the culture can provide us with insight into the broader social and political impact of black music, black history, and black people on global culture – from language to intellectual offers a wealth of art, from dance, visual arts and fashion to electoral politics, political activism and much more,” Said Associate Director H. Sammy Aleem, who is leading the initiative.
music of the beatles
With its catchy two-minute pop hits, artistic record covers, headline-making fashion and unprecedented use of studio technology, fab five They are among the most influential acts in music history. It is no surprise, then, that they are the subject of courses at many colleges and universities.
Boston’s Berklee College of Music offers music of the beatles, which takes an in-depth look at the group’s work as well as the music they wrote for other acts. Alternatively, if you’re more interested in their post-breakup actions, The Beatles’ solo careers Gets immersed in those efforts. Meanwhile, the University of Southern California takes a look at his music, career and influences The Beatles: their music and their times,
Iconic Sisters: Amy Winehouse and Erykah Badu
Whether you want to learn about craft, management, career building or marketing your work, the Clive Davis Institute at NYU offers an impressive curriculum for musicians and artists. with seminars focused on the work of Prince, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Paul mccartneyAnd J. Dilla, a unique pairing emerges: Erykah Badu And Amy Winehouse,
Billing the pair as “iconic sisters,” this two-credit seminar explores and compares how each songwriter combined different genres and styles to create their own magnetic sound. Winehouse rose to prominence for her retro spin on the sounds of Motown and Phil Spector And rebellious style. A decade before the “Back to Black” singer broke into the mainstream, Badu — who has been identified as one of Winehouse’s influences — was known for her seamless blend of jazz, R&B and hip-hop and captivating urban-bohemian style. Due to which she reached stardom, it became a template for similar singers. sza And ari lennox,
From rising to the top of the male-dominated Tejano genre to helping bring Latin music into the mainstream, selena quintanillaIts impact is still being felt decades after his untimely death. Artists also included Selena GomezDemi Lovato, Victoria “La Mala” Ortiz, Becky G And Beyoncé cites the Grammy-winning “Queen of Tejano” as an influence.
Throughout the years, his legacy and cultural influence have been the focus of dozens of college courses. In 2023, Duke University This tradition continues with Selena: Music, Media, and the Mexican American Experience. This course will explore the life, career, and cultural impact of the beloved Tejano singer.
The art of punk: sound, aesthetics and performance
Since emerging in the 1970s, punk rock has been seen as a divisive, politically charged musical genre. Its unique visual style – which can include leather jackets, tattoos, chunky boots and colorful hair – was taken into the mainstream in the ’90s, where it continues to thrive (much to the displeasure of hardcore punks everywhere). For). Over the decades, dozens of subgenres have emerged and headlined—including riot grrrl and pop-punk—but very few have had the impact of the classic ’70s punk sound and its anti-establishment themes.
If you’re interested in learning more about the genre that inspired bands like Nirvana, check out Stanford University art of punk Seminar, which traces the visual and sonic origins of the genre as well as its evolution and relationship to race, class, and gender.
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