Black Cultural Production and Social Change (2026/2027: Semester 1 – Fall)

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Cursusdoel

After completing the course students are able to:
  1. Listen to audio-visual examples and identify features that have cultural-political impact
  2. Connect concepts from cultural and decolonial theory to Afro-diasporic cultural forms
  3. Situate an audio-visual work of art in its historical, political and regional context
  4. Describe various genres of Afro-diasporic cultural production and explore their historical impact
  5. Demonstrate listening, presenting, and intercultural communication skills
  6. Explain how popular music relates to social movements, and sociological concepts such as collective identity, witnessing and testimony, solidarity, and Black liberation.
  7. Cultivate and communicate knowledge in the form of a scholarly video essay.
Description of assignment Assesses which course aims?
  1. Curated and annotated playlist
  2. In class midterm exam
  3. Video Essay
  4. Journal
 1,2,5,6
2,3,4,6
2,5,6,7
1,2,5,6

Vakinhoudelijk

This course examines Black (Afro-diasporic) music, music videos and films with thematic links to Black music and its impact on society in America and Europe, which means we also discuss Africa and the Caribbean. The case studies, readings, and listening/viewing material suggest that Black music functions as a form of cultural politics, a philosophy and a way of building identity and community. They show how Afro-diasporic musical production has been woven into political movements and social transformations from interwar anti-colonial activism to Civil Rights campaigns. This has continued in the recent #BlackLivesMatter movement.
This course brings together history, media studies and social movement theory, whereby students will
  • listen and engage with genres of music such as blues and spirituals, jazz, gospel, afro-futurist pop, and hip hop.
  • watch and contextualize visual works (documentaries, features, music videos) with thematic ties to these genres.
Through these activities students will examine how music and moving images – both individual works and whole genres - make political and philosophical claims.We will practice learning by reading, listening, watching, and discussing, as well as by creative practice (taking the form of a video essay).

Format
The course takes includes some Tuesday afternoons to accommodate for guest lecturers.

Students prepare for the seminars by listening to assigned music, watching films and other audiovisual work, reading the assigned literature, and developing opinions so they can bring comments and questions to our discussion. In addition to their midterm test, students curate a playlist with explanatory documentation identifying the course-relevant themes and practices they showcase in their playlist.
Students will also write a weekly reflections on the material as part of ongoing engagement with the course. This will be checked at midterm, and submitted at the end of the course as a cumulative journal.
Towards the end of the course, students will work on a video essay in small groups.
Students are encouraged to attend performances. Please approach the lecturers early in the first two weeks and we may be able to organize a shared outing, if you have suggestions. Otherwise incorporate attending performances into your reflections and discussions.

Werkvormen

UCU INT 2 course

Toetsing

Journal

Verplicht | Weging 25% | ECTS 1,88

Curated playlist

Verplicht | Weging 25% | ECTS 1,88

Video essay

Verplicht | Weging 25% | ECTS 1,88

*midterm FEEDBACK*

Niet verplicht

Midterm

Verplicht | Weging 25% | ECTS 1,88

Ingangseisen en voorkennis

Ingangseisen

Je moet minimaal 30 punten van het bachelor programma hebben behaald

Voorkennis

One level 1 Humanities course.

Voertalen

  • Engels

Competenties

  • Internationale en interculturele oriëntatie
  • Interdisciplinariteit
  • Luisteren
  • Community based learning / community based research
  • Presenteren

Cursusmomenten

Gerelateerde studies

Tentamens

Er is geen tentamenrooster beschikbaar voor deze cursus

Verplicht materiaal

Er is geen informatie over de verplichte literatuur bekend


Aanbevolen materiaal

  • DIVERSE
    attend performances

Opmerkingen

Counts towards HUM or SSC major.

Coördinator

dr. R.A. Gillett r.a.gillett@uu.nl

Docenten

dr. R.A. Gillett r.a.gillett@uu.nl
N. Köll MA N.Koll@uu.nl

Inschrijving

Let op: deze cursus is niet toegankelijk voor studenten van andere faculteiten, bijvakkers mogen zich dus niet inschrijven.

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