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History of African American Music - MUS00182H

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  • Department: Music
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Matthew Williams
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: H
  • Academic year of delivery: 2023-24

Module summary

This project will explore African American music history. Covering the period from the post-reconstruction era to the present, we will focus on issues of stylisation, aesthetic value, socio-political context and appropriation.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 2 2023-24

Module aims

The influence of African American music and stylisation on western popular music and art music has been a topic of discussion for many years. Historian Peter Hall writes, ‘when the Beatles first came to America, they told everyone they wanted to see Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley; one reporter asked: “Muddy Waters … Where’s that?” Paul McCartney laughed and said, “Don’t you know who your own famous people are here?”.’ From Dvorák to the Rolling Stones, African American music has been a rich inspiration for many composers and musicians around the world. But how might we identify stylistic components of African American music? What are the social and political contexts for the origins of some of its most well-known and loved styles?

This course surveys a history of African-American music in the long twentieth century. Styles will include minstrelsy, blues, jazz, spirituals, swing, bebop, free jazz, funk, gospel, soul, neo-soul, jazz-fusion, and hip-hop. In addition to a historical investigation of the social and political contexts of these styles, the course explores several theoretical applications to the study of ‘black music’ (Gates, Floyd, Ramsey, Maultsby) and critiques of such an approach (Tagg, Marsalis, Radano). In particular, we will examine concepts such as, Double-Consciousness, Diaspora, African nationalism, Afrofuturism, Signifyin(g), crossover, race, gender and sexuality.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the taught part of the project you should be able to:

  • Understand key concepts and terminology surrounding the aesthetics and stylisation of African American music;

  • Demonstrate familiarity with the social and political history of the United States as it relates to African American music

  • Be able to reflect on issues of terminology ‘black music’, ‘race music’ ‘African American music’, and so on;

  • Demonstrate familiarity with the various forms of African-American musics in the long twentieth century

  • Describe with confidence the primary aesthetic features attributed to African-based musics

  • On completion of the module, in their independent work, you should demonstrate Learning Outcomes C1–6 and C9–12.

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark Group
Essay/coursework
Essay		 N/A 100 A
Essay/coursework
Composition		 N/A 50 B
Essay/coursework
Essay		 N/A 50 B

Special assessment rules

None

Additional assessment information

There are two assessment options for this module

Route 1:

Essay of 4000 words (100%), title chosen in consultation with project tutor.

Route 2:

Essay of 2000-2500 words (50%), title chosen in consultation with project tutor;

AND

Composition of 3–5 mins (50%) focussed upon the aesthetics and creative practices of any genre covered in the module broadly understood as African American Music. This may be either a notated composition (with accompanying mp3 recording) for solo instrument or small ensemble, or an electronic composition making use of a DAW and appropriate recording techniques. A short written commentary should accompany the composition, explaining the techniques used and relating them to concepts introduced in the module.

Reassessment

None

Module feedback

You will receive written feedback in line with standard University turnaround times.

Indicative reading

Mellonee Burnim and Portia Maultsby,. (2015) African American Music, An Introduction, 2nd ed. New York: Routledge.

Samuel A Floyd. (1996) The Power of Black Music: Interpreting Its History from Africa to the United States. New York; Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Portia K. Maultsby and Mellonee V. Burnim, eds. (2017) Issues in African American Music: Power, Gender, Race, Representation. New York; Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.