MUSIC 3316

What's in a Sound? Gender and Race in Sound Cultures

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2025-2026 Catalog.

What can we hear or even see in a sound? Can the sound of a voice conjure traces of a body? How does sound construct gender and race? In this course, we will consider how listening, voicing, and music-making operate as mechanisms of representation. We will pay particular attention to the work that sonic representations perform and their connections to systems of power and identity. From reggaetón and Brazilian funk to voiceovers and machine listening, we will attune our ears to contemporary popular cultures in the Americas, listening closely to how they represent gender and race in relation to other social categories. No prior musical training is required.

Distribution Requirements (D-AG), (SCD-AS)

Exploratory Studies (CU-ITL, CU-UGR)

Last 4 Terms Offered 2025FA, 2024FA

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