Music & Power: From Stalin to 9/11

Associate Professor Inessa Bazayev School of Music

This course aims to take different perspectives on the role of music in times of war. Our goal is to study music as a weapon to censor, empower, and torture. Weekly source readings, listening quizzes, and analytical essays will serve as a roadmap for our journey through Russia, Germany, Italy, the U.S., Iraq, and Israel. You will contribute weekly to our course blog, complete one in-class formal presentation on your chosen final topic, and work on three critical essays. By the end of the course, we will broaden our worldview of music as a powerful force that both heals, as well as destroys.