Please note: Due to alternative arrangements for teaching and
assessment in place from 18 March 2020 to mitigate against the restrictions in
place due to COVID-19, information shown for 2019/20 may not always be accurate.
Please note: you are viewing unit and programme information
for a past academic year. Please see the current academic year for up to date information.
| Unit name |
Feminine Voices, Gender and Identity in Popular Music Culture |
| Unit code |
MUSI20125 |
| Credit points |
20 |
| Level of study |
I/5
|
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
|
| Unit director |
Dr. Williamson |
| Open unit status |
Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None
|
| Co-requisites |
None
|
| School/department |
Department of Music |
| Faculty |
Faculty of Arts |
Description including Unit Aims
This unit focusses on the female voice and the female performer in popular music, using both iconic and lesser-known figures as subjects for inquiry and analysis, and with some reference to historical women musicians who have become feminist icons in popular culture. The unit also introduces a range of cultural theories of difference and highlights the importance of intersectionality – particularly regarding gender and race – and provides analytical tools to support essay writing and class discussion. We will consider a wide range of artists and genres, as well as representations of gender in the marketing and branding of female artists. This unit explores the relationship between music, gender, feminism and identity across a range of performance traditions, through the lens of some key texts in gender and feminist theory.
Unit Aims:
- To introduce students to gender and feminist theory.
- To promote critical thinking about female performers in popular music.
- To introduce students to a wide range of historical popular music genres.
- To develop students’ abilities to write and express their ideas.
- To encourage interdisciplinary thinking.
Intended Learning Outcomes
At the end of the unit, a successful student will:
- Be able to show a critical understanding of the concepts of gender, sexuality, race and feminism from theoretical and historical perspectives.
- Demonstrate a solid knowledge of the scholarly discourses, methodologies, and terminologies of gender and feminism.
- Demonstrate understanding of the ways in which musical works reflect issues of gender and identity in their style, form, promotion, performance or reception.
- Show understanding of intersectionality in feminist and gender studies.
- Be able to communicate key ideas clearly and effectively to the level appropriate for I.
Teaching Information
Weekly 2-hour seminar
Assessment Information
- 2,500-word essay (60%)
- 5-minute video presentation (40%)
Both essay and presentation will demonstrate ILOs 1-5.
Reading and References
- Moran, Caitlin. How to Be a Woman. London: Random House, 2011.
- Stras, Laurie (ed.). She’s So Fine: Reflections on Whiteness, Femininity, Adolescence and Class in 1960s Music. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2010.
- O’Brien, Lucy. She Bop: The Definitive History of Women in Popular Music (rev. 3rd ed.) London: Jawbone, 2012.
- Counsell, Colin and Laurie Wolf. Performance Analysis: An Introductory Coursebook. London and New York: Routledge, 2001.
- Whiteley, Sheila (ed.). Sexing the Groove: Popular Music and Gender. London and New York: Routledge, 1997.
- Barkin, Elaine and Lydia Hammesley (eds). Audible traces: gender, identity and music. Zurich: Carciofoli Verlagshaus, 1999.
- Hooks, Belle. Black Looks: Race and Representation. Boston: South End Press, 1992.
