Literature American Cultures
Sounding American: Literature, Music, Technology and Race
What is meant when we say someone or something “sounds American”? Can a person sound like a certain gender, social class, sexuality, or race? How would we possibly define that sound? And what might it mean to think of a culture by the ways it sounds and listens, instead of how it looks or sees? This course will explore these questions and others by studying podcasts, poems, songs, novels, and the changing forms of sonic technologies like microphones, radios, mp3s, turntables, and more. We will examine the social politics of “vocal fry,” the creation of sonic warfare, the techno-sonic inventions of hip hop, punk rock, and EDM, the surveillance of Siri and Alexa, and literature’s role in helping us learn to listen. Authors and songwriters will include Gloria Anzaldúa,Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, Harryette Mullen, Black Flag, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, David Sedaris, and others.
*This course fulfills the American Cultures requirement.