GLLC-G220
Decline of the West (3 cr.) (GenEd S&H; CASE S&H, CASE GCC) (MW,
4:00–5:15 pm, FQ 012A) (Sec. #35142) Matthew Slaboch
In
his 2012 State of the Union address, Barack Obama proclaimed that “anyone who
tells you that America is in decline or that our influence has waned doesn’t
know what they’re talking about.” In spite of the president’s
proclamations that their country remains as vibrant as ever, Americans are
skeptical: Gallup’s “right track, wrong track” question revealed that only 18%
of the public were satisfied with the state of their union at the time of the
president’s address. Halfway across the globe, Europeans express
dissatisfaction with the state of their own union by protesting high
unemployment and economic uncertainty. Greece, the cradle of Western
civilization, has staggering levels of debt with which it cannot cope.
Meanwhile, there’s talk about the “rise of China.” Given what’s going on
worldwide, we might ask “Is the West in Decline?” This course
investigates, looking at economic, military, moral, artistic, and other types
of decline.
GLLC-G210
Country Music Around the World (3 cr.) (GenEd A&H; CASE A&H, CASE GCC)
(TR, 4:00–6:15 pm, FQ012A) (Sec. #35121) Nate Gibson
Country
music has often been described as the music of the South, the music of the
working-class, or even the music of America. But with advanced technology
and distribution, country music is now a multi-billion dollar global
business. This course examines the broadly-defined genre of “country” to
better understand how this music throughout the world has and continues to
reflect upon significant issues such as religion, politics, and war.
Through readings, selected listening exercises, and guest lectures, we will
explore the transnational spread of country music and its impact throughout the
world. Is country music in Nashville any more “real” than country music
in Zimbabwe, Finland, or even Russia? More importantly, who is the
music’s target audience and what does “country” mean to them? This course
draws from the disciplines of ethnomusicology, folklore, history, musicology,
performance studies, and sociology to widen our understanding of what it means
to be “country.”
