MUS 398 - Seminar in World Music: Topics in World Music Performance

Area studies of the musical traditions of Africa, Asia, West Asia/the Middle East, Oceania, Europe, and the Americas, with an emphasis on selected topics for understanding the theoretical, historical and cultural background for dance and music making. Topics will include: belief systems and life ways; social organization; musical analysis; material culture; representations of music; music as culture-specific; gender issues; contrasts among cultures and aesthetics; the role of the drum; methods for learning, reaching, and performance; and ethical issues in the study and use of world music. Class discussion, reading, listening, viewing, and research will be our focus.