FFS 280 - The Secret Life of Music

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

Today’s popular music can teach us much about the contemporary French-speaking world. But did you know it can also serve as a portal to French cultural and political history? This course uses the lyrics, musical styles and biographies of current French and Francophone musical artists - some of which are selected by students – as a starting point to explore connections between France’s present and its artistic, political and colonialist past. After listening to each new weekly musical selection (a song, a movie theme, a creole jazz band, a commercial jingle, etc.), we examine other musical works in relation to a short text, podcast or film that sheds light on the music in relation to previous cultural developments, and the frequently hidden historical forces behind them. Kathleen Hart.

Prerequisite(s): FFS 212 or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS