This course explores the aesthetics, techniques, history, and elements of style in punk and noise music, with an emphasis on American musicians, audiences, and venues from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. Through analysis of musical style, we explore historical and societal issues such as changing ideas of race, shifting political pressures, and exchanges between the US and the UK. The course offers opportunities for performance and composition. The class requires a commitment to intensive listening and a willingness to collaborate, but familiarity with Western music notation is not needed.