Experiments in Public Life: Creating and Presenting Socially Conscious Music
CSPL 208
Spring 2025
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
SOC 328 |
This course will revolve around examining and participating in this realm of music-making through different lenses. We will examine varied relationships a creator can have to the issue/stance to which the art relates, varied ways the art can be presented, varied ways of identifying and reaching different target audiences, and varied potential outcomes. Students will create work in response to a diverse set of prompts designed both to refine their individual goals of artistic and community engagement and to challenge them to create outside of those zones. In addition to individual and collaborative creative work, there will be readings and listening assignments encompassing a genre-diverse array of music (ranging from Olivier Messiaen to Charles Mingus to Nina Simone to Public Enemy, to name just a few) accompanied by some brief reflective writing assignments. Work created in the course will be shared with the community (defined multifacetedly) in a variety of ways online and in person, with the students bearing much of that organizational and curatorial responsibility. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA CSPL |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: None |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
: Course readings available on Moodle through the library reserve system.
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Examinations and Assignments:
: The bulk of the work for the course will be creating/adapting musical works (individually and collaboratively) within the parameters of different approaches to socially conscious music we will address in the course. For final projects, students will have several options, including creating more ambitious musical works, organizing a more elaborate event, or developing a culminating piece of written work researching and analyzing a particular artist or movement. This will be combined with multiple forms of direct community engagement. There will also be regular brief writing assignments in response to readings and assigned listening. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
: Music creators of all sorts (regardless of instrument, genre, etc.) are encouraged to consider interviewing for the course. Willingness to produce a substantial amount of work over the course of the semester, to work collaboratively (both with one another and with the community), and to stretch one's approach to creation are the priorities rather than any specifically-defined metrics of musical proficiency.
Some spots in the course will be made available during pre-reg period. POI meetings will occur on and Tuesday October 29 and Friday November 1 via Zoom. Please sign up for a time here and Prof. Baerman will email you with a Zoom link; if none of the times available are possible with your schedule, please email Prof. Baerman to schedule an alternative time. https://bit.ly/MusicPOI
Students interested in the course after the pre-reg period has passed should email Prof. Baerman; remaining spots will be filled prior to the first day of class on January 27. |
| Instructor(s): Baerman,Noah Times: .M.W... 10:50AM-12:10PM; Location: RHH003; |
Permission of Instructor Required
Enrollment capacity: 15 | Permission of instructor approval will be granted by the instructor during pre-registration through the Electronic Portfolio. Click "Add to My Courses" and "To request a POI electronically, click here" to submit your request. |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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