NCOM
3165

Black Music, Media & Society

Schools of Public Engagement: Media

Liberal Arts
Undergraduate Course
Degree Students
Black Music, Media & Society
Spring 2025
Taught By: Brittnay Proctor-Habil
Section: A

CRN: 14371

Credits: 3

The following course Black Music, Media, and Society is a survey of black popular music since the 1970s. Focusing primarily on the concepts of blackness, gender, and sexuality we will trace the emergence of popular sound cultures from the US and Caribbean. Charting the rise and fall of R&B, Funk, and Disco of the 1970s; sound system and dub cultures developed in Reggae, and the various aspects Hip-Hop culture, especially the DJ techniques of scratching and sampling, the course is an examination of the tensions between antiblackness and the celebration of black popular music across the globe. Students will also consider, for example: How has black popular music functioned as one of the main channels of communication among the cultures of the Black/African diaspora? Overall, the course investigates the aesthetic, political, cultural, and economic dimensions of black popular music, paying particular attention to black gender and black sexual subjectivities. By the end of the quarter students will be able to use effective writing to address the politics of popular music and to critically engage the histories of race, gender, and sexuality, as they relate to black popular music.

College: Schools of Public Engagement (NS)

Department: Media (MED)

Campus: New York City (GV)

Course Format: Seminar (R)

Modality: In-Person

Max Enrollment: 18

Add/Drop Deadline: February 3, 2025 (Monday)

Online Withdrawal Deadline: April 15, 2025 (Tuesday)

Seats Available: Yes

Status: Open*

* Status information is updated every few minutes. The status of this course may have changed since the last update. Open seats may have restrictions that will prevent some students from registering. Updated: 7:44am EDT 10/8/2024

Meeting Info:
Days: Wednesday
Times: 1:55pm - 3:45pm
Building: TBD
Room: TBD
Date Range: 1/20/2025 - 5/7/2025