Course Number:

Credit Hours:

4

Course Title:

Introduction to Ethnomusicology

Course Description:

Provides the fundamental knowledge necessary to enter the field of ethnomusicology (the study of people’s total involvement with and in music). Examines the history, definitions, and scope of ethnomusicology. Furnishes multiple perspectives of the changing ways in which ethnomusicologists have viewed themselves and others during the first century of the field’s activities. Offers students the opportunity to apply an ethnomusicological framework to the study of musical cultures and become familiar with a variety of research approaches. Theory and methods in urban ethnomusicology in particular are emphasized, with Boston as a potential fieldwork site. Three case studies illuminate models for studying complex webs of influence in the development of urban music traditions and the cultural and social interactions that create transculturated and innovative music styles.