552.336 (21S) Issues in Culture: Blues in Context(s)

Sommersemester 2021

Registration deadline has expired.

First course session
05.03.2021 14:00 - 16:00 online Off Campus
... no further dates known

Overview

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it may be necessary to make changes to courses and examinations at short notice (e.g. cancellation of attendance-based courses and switching to online examinations).

For further information regarding teaching on campus, please visit: https://www.aau.at/en/corona.
Lecturer
Course title german Issues in Culture: Blues in Context(s)
Type Seminar (continuous assessment course )
Course model Online course
Hours per Week 2.0
ECTS credits 6.0
Registrations 10 (25 max.)
Organisational unit
Language of instruction English
possible language(s) of the assessment English
Course begins on 05.03.2021
eLearning Go to Moodle course
Seniorstudium Liberale Yes

Time and place

Please note that the currently displayed dates may be subject to change due to COVID-19 measures.
List of events is loading...

Course Information

Intended learning outcomes

Students will practice critical thinking skills in weighing and evaluating different perspectives on selected cultural and musical/literary phenomena. They will gain sensitivity to performer-audience relationships within a variety of cultural and historical contexts. They will become acquainted with certain fundamental aspects of the experience of African Americans and their cultural production over the last 100 years. Finally, students will have ample opportunity to elaborate and present their own analyses and perspectives within the context of a peer-based environment.

Teaching methodology including the use of eLearning tools

Lessons will be conducted online. Students will be expected to complete regular homework assignments, individually, in pairs or in groups. Participation in class is considered an essential component of the course.

Course content

The course investigates the evolution of the blues as a musical genre from a variety of perspectives, stretching temporally and geographically from the early 20th-c Mississippi Delta to developments in Chicago in the 50s and 60s, and ranging historically and culturally from the Jim Crow reality of the Deep South to the multifaceted relationship between black musicians and white entrepreneurs in the North.  Selected “heroes” will be showcased, like Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters, but attention will be paid also to lesser-known musicians and genres, like field hollers and work songs. Occasional leaps into the 21st-c music scene will serve to draw attention to the continuity between roots and branches as perceived among contemporary artists.  

Prior knowledge expected

None

Literature

The course content, like the subject itself, is intrinsically multimodal. In addition to music and lyrics, input will include films, documentaries, photographs, commercial ads and videos. Print material ranges from accounts of field recordings, to blogs to scholarly articles. Materials will be made available on Moodle.

Examination information

Im Fall von online durchgeführten Prüfungen sind die Standards zu beachten, die die technischen Geräte der Studierenden erfüllen müssen, um an diesen Prüfungen teilnehmen zu können.

Examination methodology

Final essay and short term paper

Examination topic(s)

The essay serves to test students’ ability to develop selected themes of the course.

The term paper offers students the opportunity to elaborate their own research into and reflections on a topic related to the course.

Assessment criteria / Standards of assessment for examinations

Assessment will be based on written work. Students’ formal performance will be evaluated on the basis of their ability to produce texts which are linguistically well-formed, structured, well-argued and academically appropriate. In terms of content, papers should exhibit an adequate command of the topic and pertinent substantiation of positions advanced. In the case of the term paper, the range and quality of references will also be taken into consideration.

Grading scheme

Grade / Grade grading scheme

Position in the curriculum

  • Teacher training programme English (Secondary School Teacher Accreditation) (SKZ: 344, Version: 04W.7)
    • Stage two
      • Subject: Advanced Culture Studies (Compulsory subject)
        • Topics in British Culture Studies ( 2.0h SE / 4.0 ECTS)
          • 552.336 Issues in Culture: Blues in Context(s) (2.0h SE / 6.0 ECTS)
  • Teacher training programme English (Secondary School Teacher Accreditation) (SKZ: 344, Version: 04W.7)
    • Stage two
      • Subject: Advanced Culture Studies (Compulsory subject)
        • Topics in American Culture Studies ( 2.0h SE / 5.0 ECTS)
          • 552.336 Issues in Culture: Blues in Context(s) (2.0h SE / 6.0 ECTS)
  • Bachelor's degree programme English and American Studies (SKZ: 612, Version: 15W.3)
    • Subject: Literatur- und kulturwissenschaftlich ausgerichtetes Wahlfach (Compulsory elective)
      • 9.2 Issues in Culture ( 0.0h SE / 6.0 ECTS)
        • 552.336 Issues in Culture: Blues in Context(s) (2.0h SE / 6.0 ECTS)
          Absolvierung im 4., 5. Semester empfohlen
  • Bachelor's degree programme English and American Studies (SKZ: 612, Version: 15W.3)
    • Subject: Freie Kombination (Compulsory elective)
      • 10.1 Freie Kombination ( 0.0h SE / 12.0 ECTS)
        • 552.336 Issues in Culture: Blues in Context(s) (2.0h SE / 6.0 ECTS)
          Absolvierung im 5., 6. Semester empfohlen

Equivalent courses for counting the examination attempts

There is no equivalent course for the purpose of counting examination attempts.