MUSI 3570 - University of Virginia

MUSI 3750 – POPULAR MUSIC IN WORLD CULTURES
SEMESTER AT SEA – SPRING 2012 – B DAYS,
INSTRUCTOR: DR. JULIE STRAND
EMAIL: JLSTRAND@SEMESTERATSEA.NET; OFFICE HOURS: TBA
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES
This course will cover select popular music genres, generally defined as music produced for commercial
purposes and transmitted through mass media to a wide audience, from ports on our itinerary. Our
examination of the music will from the perspective of ethnomusicology, the study of music, culture, and
the ways that they intersect and influence one another. In many ways, popular music is a direct
reflection of popular culture, subcultures, and current events, and by studying popular music from the
past and present, we can gain insight into values, issues, and social, political, and economic factors of
the times. We will consider issues of musical change, globalization and hybridization, music as a
populist expression and political protest, and the influence of technology, the recording industry, and
marketing. Issues will be explored through directed reading and listening assignments, written
assignments, field assignments, and focused class discussion. Grades will be based upon regular field
assignments (30%), one short paper (10%), attendance and class participation (10%), a midterm (25%),
and a final exam (25%).
COURSE TEXT AND READINGS
We will draw the majority of our readings from the following text, supplemented by additional scanned
readings on the ship intranet:
Manuel, Peter. 1988. Popular Musics of the Non-Western World: An Introduction. New York: Oxford.
This text is designed to give us more of a historical perspective; additional readings will focus on current
issues in popular music in our ports of call. Complete citations for these readings can be found at the
end of the syllabus.
Reading assignments must be completed for the date under which they are listed. Students will be
expected to be prepared to discuss all assigned readings at each class.
LISTENING ASSIGNMENTS
Your listening assignments will be available on the ship intranet.
NOTE: As this is a music course, understanding and knowing the actual music is a primary learning
objective. Therefore, listening assignments are equally as important as the reading assignments. You
should plan on spending the same amount of time on the listening assignments as you do reading. The
listening examples must be studied, not simply listened to passively while doing something else, and it
is essential that you keep up with them throughout the semester. Listening examples will be played
during exams, and your success on the exams depends on your familiarity with them. Listening
examples cannot be “caught up on” or learned in one night!! If you are having trouble with the
listening aspect of the course, please talk to me right away so that we can address the problem together.
SEMS – Spring 2012 – Popular Musics of the World Syllabus, p. 1

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
I. Attendance and Class Participation – 10%
Your presence in class, both physically and mentally, is essential for satisfactory completion of the
course. Material that is not covered in the readings will be presented in class, and the natural course of
our class discussions will determine relevant topics that will appear on exams. Additional music and
video will be presented in class, all of which are fundamental to properly understanding the music and
concepts we cover.
You are expected to be in class prepared to discuss the assigned reading for the day. Everyone is
required to contribute to class discussions, and I will occasionally call on students in order to equalize
participation. Please help create a positive environment by respecting your fellow students, their
thoughts, and comments by paying attention and refraining from talking or other disruptive behavior.
This applies to when I am talking as well. Eating is also not allowed in class.
Laptops, iPads, and any other electronic device will not be permitted in class. I do not care to
compete with Facebook, photos, email, or blogs. All notes will have to be taken in class by hand.
Attendance policy: Excessive absences will hurt your chances of performing well in this course. If you
need to miss class due to an injury or illness, you must speak with me no later than the following class
with the reason for your excuse and documentation from the health center. More than two absences in
the semester will affect your attendance/participation grade and any unexcused absence will have a
detrimental affect on your grade. Serious illness/injury and other extenuating circumstances will be
dealt with on an individual basis. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to get the notes from that
day from another student.
II. Written Assignment – (5%) – Due B3 (Sun. Jan. 29)
One short written assignment will be handed in early in the semester that will be designed to engage you
with some of the relevant issues related to popular music as they apply to music that you are familiar
with. By thinking about how music in our own lives reflects some of the same issues we will encounter
throughout the voyage, we will be better able to see some of the commonalities among diverse popular
music genres and cultures of the world. Specific details about the assignment will be covered in class.
III. Field Component – Paper and Presentation (10% each, 20% total)
Every student will be required to complete two FDPs associated with this course and complete and
paper and presentation on them for the class. The field component of this course will be an opportunity
for students to engage some of the issues and topics discussed in class with their experiences with
popular music in various ports. Details regarding the nature of the activities, investigations, and analysis
will be covered specifically in class. Experiences in the field will also help build personal adaptability
and ways to develop strategies for negotiating a variety of cultural, linguistic, and geographic contexts.
Your field reports/papers will be approached as ethnographies and will incorporate a combination of
course-related Faculty Directed Practica (FDP) and independent activities. Details about FDP’s and
other port activities that can be used to satisfy the field component will be handed out separately.
SEMS – Spring 2012 – Popular Musics of the World Syllabus, p. 2

REQUIRED FDPs:
1. CAP10: Experience Cape Town Hip Hop from the Inside – Fri. 2/24 (day 1) 1-5pm
2. CAP34: Jazz Music – Sat. 2/25 (day 2), 5-11:30pm
FDP Paper/Presentation – both due on B11 (March 3)
Due to the unavoidable situation that both FDPs are in the same port, this port will present a unique
opportunity to conduct an in-depth, comparative study of two different genres of South African popular
music. This project will draw upon both your experiences in the FDPs and material from course
readings, discussions, and film viewings. This assignment will entail a written paper as well as an oral
presentation with at least one media example supporting your presentation (i.e. audio or video
example). Further details on field assignments will be distributed separately in class.
** Please note: Any student who fails to complete this course's required faculty-directed
practica, either as stipulated on this syllabus or, if that is for some reason impossible, as worked
out in advance with the instructor, may fail the course regardless of her or his performance in the
rest of the course.
Late assignments: Late assignments will be subject to a 5% penalty for each day they are late. If you
have extenuating circumstances and anticipate that you will not be able to hand in an assignment on
time, please contact me before the due date, and we can discuss the possibility of an extension.
Extensions will not be given on the day the assignment is due.
IV. Quizzes – 4 total (10% each, 40% total)
Four quizzes will be given in the following classes: B7, B12, B16, and B20. These quizzes will test you
on your knowledge of the material we have been covering in class and reading/listening assignments.
These quizzes will also help prepare you for the comprehensive final exam.
V. Final Exam – Sunday, April 29, time TBA (25%)
A comprehensive final exam will be given to test your knowledge of material covered in class and in
assigned readings for over the entire semester. Exams will consist of a combination of multiple choice
and short answer questions, with a listening section that will cover assigned listening examples. Further
information on exams will be covered in class.
GRADING SCALE
A (93-100), A- (90-92), B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79), C (73-76),
C- (70-72), D+ (67-69), D (63-66), D- (60-62), F (0-59)
SAS policy dictates that you must receive a final grade of C or higher to receive credit for the course.
ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT / UVA HONOR CODE
Please be aware that all students are required to adhere to the University of Virginia Honor Code as
described in the Voyager's Handbook. Any and all acts of academic misconduct, including cheating,
turning in work that is not one’s own, and all forms of plagiarism, will be taken seriously and pursued
according to UVA regulations.
SEMS – Spring 2012 – Popular Musics of the World Syllabus, p. 3

SEMESTER SCHEDULE
Readings designated under the author “Manuel” are from the required text; all others are from the intranet readings.
INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS POPULAR MUSIC? – LATIN AMERICA (CUBA AND BRAZIL)
Class #
B1
Introductory/Brazil Readings:
Manuel, Ch. 1, “Perspectives on the Study of Non-Western Popular Musics,” pp. 1-23
Christopher Dunn, “Tropicália, Counterculture, and the Diasporic Imagination in Brazil,”
pp. 72-91
John Murphy, “Samba: Brazil’s National Music,” pp. 1-28
Timothy Taylor, Ch. 1, “Popular Music and Globalization,” pp. 1-38
Course introduction, Studying Popular Music
[Port 1: Roseau, Dominica, Jan. 23-24]
B2
B3
Popular Music and Globalization, Popular Music of Brazil
Brazil: Tropicália, political subversion
** First Assignment due – Popular Music, The World, and You **
UNIT I: AFRICA
[Port 2: Manaus, Brazil, Jan. 31-Feb. 3]
Ghana Readings:
Manuel, “West Africa,” pp. 84-94
John Collins and Paul Richards, “Popular Music in West Africa (1981),” pp. 12-37
E. J. Collins, “Ghanaian Highlife,” pp. 62-68
Reebee Garofalo, “Whose World, What Beat: The Transnational Music Industry,
Identity, and Cultural Imperialism,” pp. 16-32
B4
B5
B6
B7
Port reflections; Issues in Popular Music: Globalization, Cultural Hegemony
Introduction to African Popular Music
Ghanaian Popular Music: Highlife
QUIZ #1; Ghanaian Popular Music: Hiplife
[Port 3: Takoradi, Ghana, Feb. 13-17]
South Africa Readings:
Manuel, “South Africa,” pp. 105-106
Louise Meintjes, “Paul Simon's Graceland, South Africa, and the Mediation of Musical
Meaning,” pp. 37-73
Gavin Steingo, “Historicizing Kwaito,” pp. 76-91
Tim Taylor, “Ladysmith Black Mambazo: Two Worlds, One Heart”
SEMS – Spring 2012 – Popular Musics of the World Syllabus, p. 4

B8
B9
B10
South Africa – Paul Simon meets Ladysmith Black Mambazo
South Africa – Music and Politics
South Africa – Kwaito and Hip Hop
[Port 4: Cape Town, South Africa, Feb. 24-29]
B11
B12
South Africa FDP Presentations
** Papers also due this day **
QUIZ #2, Music of Mauritius
[Port 5: Port Louis, Mauritius, Mar. 6]
UNIT 2: INDIA
India Readings:
Manuel, “South Asia,” pp. 171-192
Tim Taylor, “Anglo-Asian Self-Fashioning,” pp. 147-172
Film Viewings (in class and on ship CC TV):
There’ll Always Be Stars in the Sky (Bollywood documentary)
Om Shanti Om (retro/modern Bollywood)
Kandukondain Kandukondain (I Have Found It) (South Indian Tamil-language film)
B13
B14
Bollywood: Film Music as Popular Music
Indian Pop Music and Identity: Bhangra, etc.
[Port 6: Cochin, India, Mar. 12-17]
UNIT 3: SOUTHEAST AND EAST ASIA – VIETNAM, CHINA, AND JAPAN
East/Southeast Asia Readings:
Manuel, “Southeast Asia: Vietnam,” pp. 198-204
Manuel, “China,” 221-235
Manuel, “The Pacific: Hawai’i,” pp. 236-241
Ian Condry, “A History of Japanese Hip Hop,” pp. 222-247
B15
Popular Music of Vietnam
[Port 7: Singapore, Mar. 22]
B16
QUIZ #3, Popular Music of Vietnam, cont.
[Port 8: Ho Chi Mihn City, Vietnam. Mar. 25-29]
B17
Popular Music of China – Shifting Identities I
SEMS – Spring 2012 – Popular Musics of the World Syllabus, p. 5

[Port 9: Hong Kong to Shanghai, China, Apr. 1-7]
B18
Japanese Hip Hop
[Port 10: Kobe to Yokohama, Japan, Apr. 10-14]
B19
Popular Music of Japan – Shifting Identities II
B20 QUIZ #4
B21
Review/Catch-up day
B22
Popular Music of Hawai’i
[Port 11: Hilo, Hawai’i, Apr. 25]
FINAL EXAM – Sun. April 29, time TBA
READING ASSIGNMENT SOURCES (not in the Manuel text):
Collins, E. J. 1976. “Ghanaian Highlife,” African Arts 10(1): 62-68, 100.
Collins, John and Paul Richards. 1989. “Popular Music in West Africa (1981),” in Simon Frith (ed.)
World Music, Politics, and Social Change. New York: Manchester University Press, 12-46.
Condry, Ian. 2001. “A History of Japanese Hip Hop,” in Tony Mitchell (ed.) Global Noise: Rap and Hip
Hop Outside the USA. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press, 227-247.
Dunn, Christopher. 2002. “Tropicália, Counterculture, and the Diasporic Imagination in Brazil,” in
Charles Perrone and Christopher Dunn (eds.) Brazilian Popular Music and Globalization. New
York: Routledge, 72-95.
Feld, Steven. 2000. “A Sweet Lullaby for World Music,” Public Culture 12(1): 145-171.
Garofalo, Reebee. 1993. “Whose World, What Beat: The Transnational Music Industry, Identity, and
Cultural Imperialism,” The World of Music 35(2): 16-32.
Meintjes, Louise. 1990. “Paul Simon's Graceland, South Africa, and the Mediation of Musical
Meaning,” Ethnomusicology 34(1): 37-73.
Murphy, John P. 2006. Music in Brazil: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture. New York: Oxford.
Steingo, Gavin. 2008. “Historicizing Kwaito,” African Music 8(2): 76-91.
Taylor, Timothy D. 1997. Global Pop. New York: Routledge.
SEMS – Spring 2012 – Popular Musics of the World Syllabus, p. 6