SY 6310 - The Sociology of Music and Listening

Credits: 3

Description Music surrounds us in society. At times, we control our own musical soundtracks and music becomes part of our personal and national identities. But sometimes, music is imposed on us (i.e., while shopping or at work): which opens our bodies and emotions to being controlled by sound. The aim of this course is to survey a broad array of European (i.e., Adorno, Barthes, DeNora, Frith) and American (i.e., Grossberg, Kun) work concerning music, in order to view music as a sociological issue that is both highly personal (how do we engage with music in our daily lives?) and also a ‘macro’ concern (how do institutions affect our relationships with music?).