This course begins with the birth of opera at the end of the Renaissance Period, and ends with some of the most successful operas in the past decade. The operas investigated include ones in English, French, German, Italian and Russian. Alongside an introduction to the materials of opera, from vocal fachs, forms, and styles, to vocal virtuosity, the course will also situate opera as a cultural phenomenon by considering the unique set of historical, intellectual , social, political and economic conditions of each work of art.

Chamber Music for brass instruments

This course is a critical survey of theoretical and empirical research on social inequality, stratification, and mobility. The central focus is class, race, and gender inequalities as they have changed during the post-World War II period in the United States (although we will look briefly at stratification regimes in other cultures and time periods). The concepts and methods of social stratification have wide application in sociology, economics, public policy, and administration contexts.