Course Syllabus

MUSC 1031 History of Rock and Roll

Course Description

This course provides students with an overview of the history of rock and roll music from its roots to the present day. Emphasis is placed on major stylistic trends and the artists who made major contributions to the evolution of this musical genre. Rock music will also be studied in a sociological context- both as an influence on, and as a reflection of the society in which it has operated. Fundamental musical concepts and vocabulary will also be addressed.

Justification

In the past three decades, rock music has become a subject of scholarly inquiry. Since its inception in the 1950s, rock music has created revolutionary change in the popular culture of the United States and the rest of the world. An understanding of Rock and Roll is essential to an understanding of American culture since 1950. Most Utah institutions offer this course as a general education option. This course may articulate with other USHE schools.

General Education Outcomes

1. A student who completes the GE curriculum has a fundamental knowledge of human cultures and the natural world. Each student will be required to read the textbook and demonstrate understanding through written tests. They will also be required to understand and organize readings of various texts, internet resources, and library resources to properly research and write effectively on their chosen research topic.
2. A student who completes the GE curriculum can read and research effectively within disciplines. Through the historical research process, students will be evaluated on their ability to successfully write a research document that accurately reflects insight to various aspects rock history. Students will also be assessed on their ability to classify musical excerpts stylistically.
3. A student who completes the GE curriculum can draw from multiple disciplines to address complex problems. The course content examines the history of popular music in America through the lenses of history, politics, music, and culture. In addition to understanding musical content, students will also learn the importance of music in the contexts of those various disciplines. Students will demonstrate their understanding of these concepts through written assignments, quizzes and exams.
4. A student who completes the GE curriculum can reason analytically, critically, and creatively. Students will demonstrate an ability to critically analyze musical excerpts and their relationship to popular culture through the administration of essay based examinations, listening examinations, written assignments, and research assignments.

General Education Knowledge Area Outcomes

1. Students will demonstrate an ability to articulate the dynamics of the creative process as it relates to the composition of American vernacular music through the submission of essay based, and listening examinations.  Students will demonstrate an ability to articulate the dynamics of the creative process as it relates to the composition of American vernacular music through the submission of essay based, and listening examinations.
2. Provide an informed synopsis of the performing and/or visual arts in the contexts of culture and history through reading and interpreting pertinent information using a variety of traditional and electronic media. Students will demonstrate an ability to locate American vernacular music in the context of US and world history and culture from 1950 through the present day. This outcome will be assessed through the administration of essay based and listening exams and through the submission of written assignments.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the conceptual and elemental principles fundamental to the creation of various forms of artistic expression. Students will demonstrate an ability to differentiate between the fundamental elements of music and the ways in which songwriters and performers have leveraged those elements to create music that can today be classified according to styles characteristic of American vernacular traditions. This outcome will be assessed through the administration of written examinations, listening examinations and through the submission of written assignments.
4. Exhibit an ability to critically analyze artistic works using appropriate techniques, vocabulary, and methodologies. Students will demonstrate an ability to classify excerpts representative of American vernacular music. This outcome will be assessed through listening examinations.

Course Content

1. The roots of rock and roll and the initial popularization of rock and roll in the 1950s. Rock and race.2. Rock music between Elvis and the Beatles.3. The British Invasion.4. Folk Music and Rock in the 1960s: from novelty to art.5. Rock's "golden age" of experimentalism: 1965-1975.6. Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, Corporate Rock, and Singer-Songwriters in the 1970s.7. The punk revolution.8. The 1980s: race and rock revisited.9. The 1990's: Grunge, Hip Hop, Pop and Beyond. 10. Popular music today.These topics will be explored through a wide cultural lens, encouraging greater understanding of the ways in which minority voices have critically contributed and have also been undercredited for their role in the development of Rock and Pop.