PAMU 330 - Jazz in America

Units: 3
Three hours lecture per week
Prerequisite: Junior Standing or Consent of Instructor
The study of jazz as a uniquely American musical art form, principally through the development of jazz styles. From its roots in Africa and later in New Orleans, jazz will be studied as both a musical and a social phenomenon that originated and was nurtured in the African-American community. The course will explore issues of community, ethnicity, class, and gender in relationship to jazz as a vehicle for both personal and cultural expression. Through recordings, videos, lectures, demonstrations and live performances, students will study jazz and its forerunners, ragtime and blues, from their beginnings to the present day.
GenEd: C1, C3B, UDIGE