Revolutionary Inventions in Music

Professor: J. Coakly

Section: 001

Meeting: WF 1:00 - 2:25

What are some of the major events that have shaped the development of music in the western world? According to the British composer and Broadcaster,  Howard Goodall,  there are five “inventions” that have had revolutionary impact:

1) music notation;

2.) opera;

3)  equal temperament (gaps between notes) ;

4) the “loud and soft machine,” or the fortepiano as it’s now called and

5), thanks to Thomas Alva Edison, recorded music.

We add a 6th one: digital recording and reproduction.

The course examines these “inventions,” analyzing them in wider cultural contexts. Requirements include class discussions, written and oral reports, a research project, attendance at selected musical events and field trips. Some music background is helpful but not required.

Religion and Culture
Professor: C. Brooks
Section: 101
Meeting: W 6:00 - 9:05

This seminar will explore the world's religions from the earliest times to the present, considering their relationships with social structure, politics, economy, technology, moral and ethical systems, and cross-cultural interactions. The course will be developed through reading classic articles on religion and culture, reading articles by contemporary scholars on religion and society, and viewing selected video resources on the world's religions. The last phase of the seminar will focus on contemporary issues in religion, especially the nature of current conflicts.

Global Issues of Race and Ethnicity

Professor: Brooks

Section: 103

Meeting: F 6:00 - 9:05

This course studies the terminology and meaning of race and ethnicity as understood by anthropologists, sociologists, and other social scientists. We will look at race and ethnicity from both the macro socio-political perspective, and the micro personal, psychological, interactional level. The course will speficially address global issues where ethnicity is a component. These include issues of personal identity; social construction of ethnicities; cross-cultural interaction; ethnic nationalism; ethnic conflict; and geo-political implications of ethnicity, especially those related to globalization. Other specific topics will be decided by the class.