CALS 368
Tuesday and Thursday 3-4:40pm, Nichols 204
NH 208, 664-3294, patricia.kim-rajal@sonoma.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday 1-2pm and 5-6 pm, Thursday 5-6pm
and by appointment
Course Description
This course serves as an introduction to the varied musical traditions
of the Spanish speaking Americas. We
will discuss the differences and similarities among the musics of the
Caribbean, the Andean region, Central America and the U.S.-Mexico borderlands,
paying special attention to the effect that histories of conquest and
domination have influenced modes of musical expression. We will consider the unique cultural circumstances
that gave rise to musical traditions like banda, rumba, salsa, corrido and
reggaeton. In addition to identifying
the key features of major Latino musics, we will explore the use of music as a social activity among
minority populations. Students will be asked to consider the relationship
between ethnic musics and ethnic identity: To what extent does music inform the
performance of ethnicity?
Themes to be discussed include the relationship between musical structure and social structure (homology), the use of music to denote social inclusion and exclusion, the ways that music reinforces and undermines such social boundaries as race, gender, and class, the social relations involved in the creation, production, and distribution of music, the social interactions through which the “meaning” of music is negotiated, and the way that music enters into everyday life.
Homework/Participation 10%
Response Paper 20%
Midterm 20%
Research Project 30%
Final 20%
Homework/Participation
You are expected to attend class on a regular basis, to complete course assignments in a timely manner, and to contribute to group discussions. During the early part of the semester, you will also be asked to complete certain assignments in preparation for class. These assignments will be due on that date at the beginning of class. No late assignments will be accepted.
Response Paper
Halfway through the semester you will write a short essay (4-6 pages) in response to a prompt provided by the instructor. Details will follow as the semester progresses.
Midterm
The midterm will follow a definition/short response
format. It will consist of definitions
(terms, genres, places, people) and two short essay answers. Remember to bring a bluebook.
Research Project
Students will be required to complete a research project (8-10 pages) as part of this course and to present their findings to the rest of the class during the last week of the semester. More details will be provided during the first two weeks of the semester.
Final Exam
The final will take the form of in-class essays, so remember to bring a bluebook. I will provide you with a study guide on the last day of the term.
Required Texts
Available at North Light Books (550 E. Cotati Avenue):
Loza, Steven. Barrio Rhythm: Mexican American Music in Los Angeles.
Chicago: University of Illinois, 1993
Peña, Manuel. Musica Tejana.
College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 1999
This
is also available as an electronic text via the SSU library
Rivera, Raquel. Z. New York Ricans from the Hip Hop Zone.
New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003
Roberts, John Storm. The Latin Tinge.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1999
Simonett, Helena. Banda: Mexican Musical Life Across Borders.
Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 2001
Wade, Bonnie C. Thinking Musically.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2003
Reading assignments followed by a [W] in the weekly schedule can be found on the WebCT course, which may be accessed via the following URL:
http://webct.sonoma.edu:8900/webct/public/home.pl
Weekly Schedule
Week 1 Introduction:
Defining our Terms
1/31 Overview of the course. No assigned reading.
2/2 Wade:
chapters 1 and 2
Homework:
Exercises 1.3 and 1.6
2/7 Wade: chapters 3 and 4
Homework:
Exercises 4.10 and 4.15
2/9 Roberts:
Glossary
Wade:
chapter 5
2/14 Wade:
chapters 6 and 7
Homework:
Exercises 6.1 through 6.5
2/16 Fiske,
John. “Commodities and Culture” in Understanding
Popular Culture. Cambridge, MA:
Unwin Hyman, 1989. [W]
Burnett,
Robert. “The production of popular music” and “The consumption of popular
music” in The Global Jukebox.
New York: Routledge, 1996. [W]
2/21 Simonett:
Introduction; chapters 4 and 5
2/23 Simonett:
chapters 6, 7 and 8
2/28 Simonett:
chapters 1-3
3/2 Midterm
review
Media:
New Audiences for Mexican Music
Media: Lydia Mendoza
3/14
Peña: chapters 4 and 5
3/16
Peña: chapter 6
Media:
Selena and Tish Hinojosa
3/21 Roberts:
chapters 1-3
Media:
Carlos Gardel
3/23 Roberts
4-6
Media: Xavier Cugat, Desi Arnaz,
Tito Puente
3/28 Loza: chapters 1 and 2
3/30 Loza: chapters 4 and 5
Lipsitz, George. “Cruising Around
the Postmodern Block” in
The Subcultures Reader,
Gelder & Thornton (Eds). New York:
Routledge, 1997: 350. [W]
Media: Los Lobos
4/4 Loza:
chapter 6
4/6 Habell-Pallán,
Michelle. “El Vez is ‘Taking Care of Business': The International Appeal of Chicano Popular Music.” Cultural Studies 13 (1999): 195-210. [W]
Week 12 Spring Break
4/25 Rivera:
Preface, chapters 1 and 2
4/27
Rivera: chapters 3 and 4
5/2 Rivera:
chapters 5 and 6
5/4 Rivera:
chapter 7
Negron-Muntaner, Frances
. “Jennifer's Butt.” Aztlan 22
(1997): 181-194. [W]
5/9 Rivera:
chapters 8 and 10
5/11 Garcia-Canclini,
Nestor. “Introduction” and “Identities as a Multimedia Spectacle” in Consumers
and Citizens: Globalization and Multicultural Conflicts. Minneapolis, MN: Minnesota University Press,
2001. [W]
5/16 Summary
of course. Student Presentations. RESEARCH PROJECTS DUE TODAY.
5/18 Student
Presentations. Study Guide for Final
exam handed out in class today.
5/23 Final
from 11am to 12:50pm in 204 Nichols.
Remember to bring a bluebook.