SOCY
2058, Semester 2 2008
Studies
in Social Problems:
The Sociology of Popular Music
For most people in Australian society,
there would rarely be a day when they do not encounter popular music in some
form, whether through voluntarily choosing music to listen to on an iPod or car stereo, going to gigs, or being exposed to it
in shops, movies, television shows and commercials. This course aims to provide
a theoretical basis for understanding this music sociologically. The course
will cover the beginnings of popular music in order to provide a historical
background for the music of today and the theories that have been used to
‘explain’ it. It will then use case studies of forms of popular
music such as punk, rap, heavy metal and ‘pop’ to explore the
connections between music and society. Music’s relationship with youth
cultures, moral panics, tastes and social hierarchies will be examined in order
to develop students’ understanding of how and why particular musical
forms arise at particular points in time, and why they receive the responses
they do. Time will also be spent examining music’s emotional and embodied
affects in our everyday lives.
STAFF CONTACT:
Catherine Strong is the Lecturer and
tutor for this course.
Room: HA 2160
Phone: 6125 6791
Email: Catherine.strong@anu.edu.au
Please contact me with any queries or
concerns you have about the course. I am in my office most days, so come by and
see me any time; however, if you need to discuss a particular matter with me
and want to be sure I’ll be around, email me beforehand to arrange a
time.
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