Topics in the Literatures of American Cultures

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 secrets of Siri and Alexa, and literature’s role in helping us learn to listen. Authors and songwriters will include William Faulkner, Gloria Anzaldúa, Danger Mouse, Louise Erdrich, Black Flag, Harryette Mullen, Bob Dylan, Eudora Welty, Theresa Cha, David Sedaris, and others.