MUSI 308B - Introduction to Music in American Sound Cinema: 1927-Present

In this course, students explore various ways in which music supports, subverts, or otherwise interacts with the visual and narrative aspects of the Hollywood film manipulating the viewer’s experience of both particular moments and entire films. Although the beginning of the class summarizes terminology and theories of sound in film, the class as a whole centers around developing critical approaches to music in film (as opposed to the more global issue of sound qua sound in its various cinematic manifestations). Some of the issues considered include music, memory, and subjectivity in Casablanca; music and representations of gender in Singin’ in the Rain and Sunset Boulevard; rock music and representations of ethnicity, class, and youth in The Blackboard Jungle; the director as “composer” in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and Full Metal Jacket; music and audience manipulation in the Spielberg/Williams collaborations; and the relationship of music to issues of gender, voice, and body in Jane Campion’s The Piano. Students taking the course at the 300 level read additional critical literature and write a final paper based on their reading of a particular film or films. Enrollment limited to 10 students. Cross listed as MUSI 210. (SS)

Prerequisites & Notes
Prerequisite: Reserved for music majors or prospective music majors.
21072
1030 to 1245. June 14 to July 12 MTWRF; Stephan Prock

Credits: 3