Viz

MUSC 132: The Golden Age of R&B and MUSC 136: History of Rock

Music
Instructor: Andy Flory
Fall 2012

Course Descriptions

The Golden Age of R&B: A survey of rhythm and blues from 1945 to 1975, focusing on performers, composers, and the music industry.

History of Rock: A survey of rock and roll from its beginnings to the present day, focusing on the performers, composers and the music industry.

Introduction

I teach entry-level courses at Carleton on topics pertaining to both the history of rock and the history of rhythm and blues. In both of these courses students are required to complete a short analysis project. Students are permitted to choose from one of three available analysis project options: a form diagram of an audio track, a comparative analysis of two audio tracks, and a visual analysis. Despite the importance of visual representation in post-WWII popular music, after teaching both of these courses during the 2011-2012 school year I felt strongly that the video analysis option was the weakest of these assignments.

Description and Teaching Materials 

During the final week of August 2012, I revised this assignment significantly with the support of a grant from the Carleton Viz Initiative. In the end, I did not alter the logistical elements of the assignment: students are sill required to choose an example of music video (according to a very liberal definition of the genre) and provide an analysis of the ways in which the visual element supports or contradicts the music. The most important changes to the assignments came in the area of supporting literature and models for analysis. After a thorough review of literature related to the analysis of music and visuality, I settled on two main sources to require students to read as part of the assignment, writings by Carol Vernalis and Andrew Goodwin. (These will also now be required of all students in the course, whether they choose to complete this assignment or not.) This pair works together nicely, providing methodological approaches for both post-1983 "music videos" (Vernalis) and other instances of visual representation that relies heavily on music (Goodwin). The most important aspect of these sources is the array of methodological tools presented. Clear descriptions of, and examples containing, concepts of synesthesia, evocative moments, disjunction, and shifting cultural positions will allow students to engage in a more meaningful manner with their topics. This literature review also allowed me to include a much wider range of optional reading in the assignment, which will support the interests and needs of students who seek different models.

Assignment

Video Analysis Project (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 147kB Oct15 12)