Music has unique powers as an agent of ideology.
We need to understand its workings, its charms, both to protect ourselves against them, and paradoxically, to enjoy them to the full. The primary goal of this course is to survey the history of rock music in a way that underscores the power of music as a means of communication. An important goal this semester is for students to refine the critical skills that they bring to the study of culture. Students will be expected to read an array of critical perspectives, question and evaluate these views, and discuss their utility in conversation and in writing. The history of rock music is intimately tied to the emergence of an international music industry made possible, to large extent, by innovations in technology.