PERF 1016 Popular Music Histories

This is an archived copy of the 2021-2022 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit https://hbook.westernsydney.edu.au.

Credit Points 10

Legacy Code 102547

Coordinator John Encarnacao Opens in new window

Description Students will explore some of the most significant trajectories of popular music of the last 100 years. Each week will look a different facet of popular music history, stretching from the stars of the early years of the recorded music industry to the development of electronic dance music. The unit will touch upon folk, jazz, blues, rock, soul, funk, pop, disco, metal, punk, and hip hop to offer a necessarily incomplete tapestry of music scenes, chains of influence, and theories on the points of origin of styles and genres. Concepts that will be investigated include the relationship of recording and dissemination technologies with popular music creation; the notion of a "mainstream" and its margins; and the idea of a grand narrative of popular music history, including the problems of canonicity.

School Humanities & Comm Arts

Discipline Music

Student Contribution Band HECS Band 2 10cp

Check your HECS Band contribution amount via the Fees page.

Level Undergraduate Level 1 subject

Equivalent Subjects CART 1006 - Music History 2 PERF 1022 - Western Art Music 2

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
  1. Name significant artists, works and genres associated with popular music of the period 1925-the present
  2. Aurally recognise popular music artists, works and genres of the period 1925-the present
  3. Associate significant artists, works and genres associated with popular music of the period 1925-the present with specific time periods
  4. Explain elements of the lineage of popular music history with respect to developments in technology
  5. Participate in debates regarding the relationship to a succession of formats of analogue and digital distribution with the production and reception of popular music works
  6. Define canon and notions of a �gmainstream�h and their influence on common perceptions of popular music history
  7. Those attending Art of Sound will be able to: Participate m

Subject Content

Major musical genres of the last 100 years of popular music. How do we identify these with respect to musical elements and their historical context?
The development of music performance technology and its influence on popular music history
The development of music dissemination technology and its influence on popular music history
The synchronicity of developments in parallel fields of popular music (e.g. punk and hip hop in the 1970s)
The idea of canon and canonicity
The relationship between recording and performance

Assessment

The following table summarises the standard assessment tasks for this subject. Please note this is a guide only. Assessment tasks are regularly updated, where there is a difference your Learning Guide takes precedence.

Item Length Percent Threshold Individual/Group Task
Presentation 10 minutes 20 N Group
Essay (a) Short written task - 500 words (15%) ; (b) Major essay - 1500 words (25%) 40 N Individual
Quiz 2 x 30 minutes (20% each) 40 N Individual
Art of Sound Minimum 2 hrs per fortnight S/U Y Individual

Prescribed Texts

  • Stanley, Bob (2013) Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. London: Faber and Faber.

Teaching Periods

Spring

Penrith (Kingswood)

Day

Subject Contact John Encarnacao Opens in new window

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