Instructors: Taylor Black (English) and Sophia Enriquez (Music)
This course explores musical and literary traditions from across the American South. In doing
so, we argue that “the South” is not a monolith and aim to show how southern musical and literary traditions of South are diverse and complex. This course is co-taught with professors from Music and English and will be approached in an interdisciplinary way. We will consider how literature can be musical and how music can be literary.
Course materials will include readings, audio recordings, film, and podcasts and range from historical to contemporary examples. Our discussions will feature a variety of texts such as literature, music, dance, art, food preparation, rituals, religious practices, and varying views of gender and sexuality. Students will be asked to investigate, interpret, and assess these differences in a way that helps them make sense of shifting Southern cultural landscapes.
