What happens when we take the auditory as a point of entry into the history of contemporary art? This course surveys a history of “sound art” through postwar & contemporary art, experimental music, performance. More broadly, we will ask about the place of sound in art history. Central to our inquiry will be how sound studies allows us to contend in new ways with questions of race, gender, and power in art -- questions that have been theorized in primarily ocular terms. We will ask after questions of form, technique, or technology, such as scores, recordings, transcriptions, and captioning, as well as genres of popular and experimental music and modes of dance and performance, and investigate how milieus of artists, composers, musicians, and performers have shaped each others’ practices. We will also consider related questions of space, architecture, and acoustics; voice, accent, and language; audism and access; and the status of sound within the history of philosophy. In addition to readings, screenings, and listening assignments, students will complete a series of writing projects over the course of the semester.