Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0240 - Music of Immigrant America

As expressions of identity and culture, the music of immigrant and diasporic peoples in the United States ranges from traditional folk styles to hybrid popular and rock styles specific to each community. The performance of these genres often serves as a bridge between the old and new cultures and is reflective of changing identity and aesthetics. This course will focus on the traditional and popular music from a number of immigrant, migrant, and diasporic communities: Irish, East European Jewish, various parts of the Caribbean, Mexican, German, Cambodian, and others. We will also examine community institutions that foster music and dance as well as the appropriation and marketing of "ethnic" musics by the dominant culture. Finally, this course will examine some of the theoretical concepts inherent to the immigrant musical experience: the institutionalization of culture, "subcultural" theory, music revivals, and others.

Writing and Research Multiple Cultural Perspectives