2003 has been declared by the U.S. Senate and
Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove as the “Year of
the Blues,” bringing long-overdue recognition to a musical
genre that lies at the base of much of today’s popular
music.
During the 1st summer session of studies at Millsaps, the
Department of Sociology and Anthropology will offer a course
called "Sociology of Popular Culture: The Blues"
to interested students. This course will examine blues history
and contemporary expressions of the blues from the framework
of the sociology of popular culture. Topics addressed include
blues as a reflection of broader cultural patterns (eg. gender
roles, socio-economic relations, race relations), blues as
secular religion, blues as a commodity in the marketplace,
and cultural tourism, particularly as expressed recently in
Mississippi.
The readings in this course will be oriented to presenting
students with an understanding of the basic mechanisms of
popular culture as well as a broad overview of the blues as
a musical genre. Students will also have the opportunity to
listen to recordings, talk about the blues with local musicians,
and attend live performances. |
