Music has been a powerful means of Americans’ political expression, including dissent. This course is both a history of American protest music and a history of the United States through that music. We will explore several great veins of protest music that have helped to define the American experience: Woody Guthrie and immense legacy, running through Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and other “folk” artists ; “negro spirituals” and the varied music of the Civil Rights Movement; jazz, soul and funk, aligned with Black Power; modern-day Rap; punk and Riot Grrrl; and ass-kicking, freedom-loving, rock and roll. The music itself (distributed on playlists), and writings or videos about individual artists and songs, will be our main focus. We will ask what makes a “good” protest song and even try our hand and writing lyrics and songs. We will also survey historical and musicological literature about protest music and the context in which it emerged.