Music Literature II (MUSIC 155)
American Musical Diversity
Spring 2025
Instructor: Dr. Brooks Toliver, 376 Guzzetta Hall.
Time: Tuesday and Thursday: 9:40-10:30 am (Section 1); 10:45-11:35 am (Section 2).
Place: Guzzetta 147.
Office hours: Monday through Thursday, 12-1; by app’t.
Contact: brooks2@[Link].
COURSE DESCRIPTION
As indicated by the subtitle of this course, our focus is on American musical diversity. To that
end, we sample different styles, genres and traditions, following a roughly chronological path
from the early 19th century to the present. The second priority of the course is critical thinking, to
which end we grapple with selections from a handful of scholarly essays. Most of that work
consists of reading and discussion, though there are also two writing assignments and three
multiple-choice quizzes on this material. Your primary requirements are to attend class twice per
week, do the reading and listening, and contribute to the exploration (I will explain what that
means in class).
Learning outcomes: you will learn to…
• …articulate how diversity impacts the creation, acquisition and application of
knowledge;
• …identify multiple perspectives on cultural difference within American music;
• …recognize and articulate how dimensions of diversity such as race, ethnicity, gender,
and/or national origin are socially constructed.
MATERIALS
There is no textbook for this course, nor anything to purchase. I will make the readings available
to you on Brightspace and the listening selections on Spotify (along with Naxos and Youtube as
needed). If you do not already have a Spotify account, please sign up for one (the free level is
fine).
ASSIGNMENTS/GRADING
Your grade will be determined by two position papers, three listening quizzes, three non-
listening quizzes, and attendance.
Listening Quizzes: Each of the three in-class listening quizzes requires that you identify five
selections from the weekly Spotify playlists. Shortly before a given quiz I will clarify via a
Brightspace announcement which of the assigned selections you need to be able to recognize. All
quiz-samples will start from the beginning.
Non-Listening Quizzes: These three quizzes on Brightspace measure comprehension of the
readings and retention of key lecture and discussion points. Self-assessments (also on
Brightspace) will help you to prepare. The latter will accumulate week-by-week.
Position Papers: For each of the papers (“Paper 1” and “Paper 2”) you will select one or two of
the required readings (your choice) which you will summarize, evaluate, and elaborate on over a
minimum of 800 words. I will provide detailed specifications for both papers.
Attendance: Given the degree to which this course depends on readings and the exchange of
ideas, it is important that you come all the time and let me know if you cannot make a lecture.
Elaboration:
• Five absences without notice lowers the highest possible final grade to a B+; eight
absences without emails lowers the highest possible final grade to a C+.
• Email me within 48 hours of missing a class, and the absence will not count, regardless of
the reason.
When to do the Reading and Listening: Unlike the situation in many other classes, in this one
the reading and listening are best encountered after the lecture. Just don’t fall behind: please do
the reading and listening for a given week before the next week begins.
AI Policy
• Permitted Use: AI tools may be used for brainstorming ideas or refining drafts of written
work, provided their use is disclosed in your submission.
• Prohibited Use: AI tools may not be used to generate papers.
• Academic Integrity: Undisclosed or inappropriate use of AI tools will be treated as a
violation of course and university policies.
Grading Breakdown:
• Paper 1: 200 pts.
• Paper 2: 200 pts.
• Non-Listening Quizzes 1-3: 150 pts. each.
• Listening Quizzes 1-3: 50 pts. each.
Final Grades, based on a percentage of points earned:
• 100-93% - A
• 92-90%- A-
• 89-86% - B+
• 85-83% - B
• 82-80% - B-
• 79-76% - C+
• 75-73% - C
• 72-70% - C-
• 69-66% - D+
• 65-63% - D
• 62-60% - D-
• 59-0% - F
Extra Credit:
• Do you have some music relevant to our class that you would like to perform? You could
earn 25 extra-credit points for this. Please talk to me at least 2 weeks beforehand, and,
given that we have a full schedule every day, try to keep it under 5 minutes.
• Interested in other extra credit? If anyone brings this up before the end of Week 13, I will
propose a small additional paper based on the readings.
Important Dates:
• 1/17: Syllabus Read-Through (see Brightspace Assignment Folder for details).
• 1/26: Last day to drop the class without an official withdrawal.
• 2/18: Presidents Day Observance; no class.
• 2/20: Listening Quiz 1, covering Weeks 2-5 in class.
• 2/20: Non-Listening Quiz 1, covering Weeks 1-5, opens at noon.
• 2/22: Non-Listening Quiz 1 closes at 11:59 pm.
• 3/2: Last day to withdraw.
• 3/3: Paper 1 due by 11:59 pm.
• 3/24-30: Spring Break.
• 4/3: Listening Quiz 2, covering Weeks 6-10, in class.
• 4/3: Non-Listening Quiz 2, covering Weeks 6-10, opens at noon.
• 4/5: Non-Listening Quiz 2 closes at 11:59 pm.
• 4/29: Listening Quiz 3, Covering Weeks 11-14, in class on Tuesday.
• 5/2: Paper 2 due by 11:59 pm.
• 5/2: Non-Listening Quiz 3, covering Weeks 11-15, opens at noon.
• 5/6: Non-Listening Quiz 3 closes at 11:59 pm.
• 5/8: Last day to turn in late term paper.
SEMESTER OUTLINE
Week 1 Tuesday: Introduction
Week 1 Thursday: The Changing Face of Musicology
• Assignments:
o Syllabus Read-Through by Friday, 1/17 at 11:59 pm.
UNIT 1: PRE-EUROPEAN MUSIC
Week 2: Native American Traditional Music
• Listening:
o Spotify Playlist: “Mus. Lit. II: Week 2.”
UNIT II: EUROPEAN CLASSICAL MUSIC IN AMERICA
Week 3: Louis Moreau Gottschalk and Antonín Dvořák (19th Century)
• Reading:
o Rabinowitz, “‘With Our Own Dominant Passions’: Gottschalk, Gender, and the
Power of Listening.”
• Listening:
o Spotify Playlist: “Mus. Lit. II: Week 3.”
Week 4: Gottschalk and Dvořák, Cont.
• Reading:
o Beckerman, “Dvořák’s ‘New World’ Largo and ‘The Song of Hiawatha’.”
• Listening:
o Spotify Playlist: “Mus. Lit. II: Week 4.”
Week 5: Edward MacDowell Amy Beach (Turn of the Century)
• Reading:
o Block, “Amy Beach’s Music on Native American Themes.”
• Listening:
o Spotify Playlist: “Mus. Lit. II: Week 5.”
• Looking Ahead:
o No class next Tuesday (Presidents Day observed).
o Next week we have our first listening quiz and non-listening quiz.
Week 6 Tuesday: No Class (Presidents Day)
Week 6 Thursday: Charles Ives (19-teens)
• Listening:
o Spotify Playlist: “Mus. Lit. II: Week 6.”
• Assignments:
o Listening Quiz 1, covering Weeks 2-5, in class on Thursday, 2/20.
o Non-Listening Quiz 1, covering Weeks 1-5, opens Thursday, 2/20 at noon; closes
Saturday, 2/22 at 11:59 pm.
Week 7: Ferde Grofé (1930s)
• Reading:
o Toliver, “Eco-ing in the Canyon: Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite and the
Transformation of Wilderness.”
• Listening:
o Spotify Playlist: “Mus. Lit. II: Week 7.”
• Looking Ahead:
o Paper 1 is due Monday of next week (3/3).
UNIT III: VERNACULAR MUSIC IN AMERICA
Week 8 Tuesday: The Blues
Week 8 Thursday: The Blues, Cont.; Duke Ellington (1940s)
• Reading:
o Cohen, “Ellington and Black, Brown and Beige.”
• Listening:
o Spotify Playlist: “Mus. Lit. II: Week 8.”
• Assignment:
o Paper 1 due Monday, 3/3, 11:59 pm.
Week 9 Tuesday: Ellington, Cont.
UNIT IV: AMERICAN CLASSICAL MUSIC OF THE 1950s-1970s
Week 9 Thursday: John Cage (1950s)
• Listening:
o Spotify Playlist: “Mus. Lit. II: Week 9.”
Week 10: Minimalism
• Reading:
o Fink, “Introduction: The Culture of Repetition.”
• Listening:
o Spotify Playlist: “Mus. Lit. II: Week 10.”
• Looking Ahead:
o Next week is Spring Break. The following Thursday (of Week 11) you have the
second listening quiz. The second non-listening quiz will open that same day and
close on Saturday. Descriptions of each will be posted on Brightspace.
***SPRING BREAK 3/24-3/30***
UNIT V: AMERICAN POPULAR MUSIC OF THE 1960s-1980s
Week 11: The Folk Revival of the 1960s
• Listening:
o Spotify Playlist: “Mus. Lit. II: Week 11.”
• Assignments:
o Listening Quiz 2, covering Weeks 6-10, in class on Thursday, 4/3.
o Non-Listening Quiz 2, covering Weeks 6-10, opens Thursday, 4/3 at noon; closes
Saturday, 4/5 at 11:59 pm.
Week 12 Tuesday: The Folk Revival of the 1960s, Cont.
Week 12 Thursday: Funk of the 1970s
• Reading:
o Eyerman and Barretta, “From the 30s to the 60s: The Folk Music Revival in the
United States.”
• Listening:
o Spotify Playlist: “Mus. Lit. II: Week 12.”
Week 13: Funk of the 1970s, Cont.
• Reading:
o Valnes, “Janelle Monáe and Afro-Sonic Feminist Funk.”
• Listening:
o Spotify Playlist: “Mus. Lit. II: Week 13.”
Week 14: Heavy Metal of the 1980s
• Reading:
o Walser, “Forging Masculinity: Heavy Metal Sounds and Images of Gender.”
• Listening:
o Spotify Playlist: “Mus. Lit. II: Week 14.”
• Looking Ahead:
o Next Tuesday you have the final listening quiz, followed by Paper 2 on Friday.
The final non-listening quiz also opens on Friday, but extends through Tuesday of
Finals Week. Descriptions of each quiz will be posted on Brightspace.
Week 15: Non-Traditional Native-American Music; Wrap-Up
• Listening:
o Spotify Playlist: “Mus. Lit. II: Week 15.”
• Assignments:
o Listening Quiz 3, Covering Weeks 11-14, in class on Tuesday, 4/29.
o Paper 2 due Friday, 5/2 (last day to turn it in late: 5/8).
o Non-Listening Quiz 3, covering Weeks 11-15, opens on Friday, 5/2, at noon;
closes on Tuesday of Finals Week, 5/6, at 11:59 pm.
***
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Beckerman, Michael. “Dvořák’s ‘New World’ Largo and “The Song of Hiawatha’.” 19th-Century Music 16.1
(1992): 35-48.
Block, Adrienne Fried. “Amy Beach’s Music on Native American Themes.” American Music 8.2 (1990): 141-66.
Cohen, Harvey G. “Ellington and Black, Brown and Beige: The Composer as Historian at Carnegie Hall.” American
Quarterly 56.4 (2004): 1003-34.
Eyerman, Ron, and Scott Barretta. “From the 30s to the 60s: The Folk Music Revival in the United States.” Theory
and Society 25.4 (1996): 501-43.
Fink, Robert. Repeating Ourselves: American Minimal Music as Cultural Practice. Berkeley: University of
California Press, 2005.
Rabinowitz, Peter J. “‘With Our Own Dominant Passions’: Gottschalk, Gender, and the Power of Listening.” 19th-
Century Music 16.3 (1993): 242-52.
Toliver, Brooks. “Eco-ing in the Canyon: Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite and the Transformation of
Wilderness.” Journal of the American Musicological Society 57 (2004): 325-67.
Valnes, Matthew. “Janelle Monáe and Afro-Sonic Feminist Funk.” Jounral of Popular Music Studies 29.3 (2017): 1-
12.
Walser, Robert, Running with the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music. Middletown, CT:
Wesleyan University Press, 1993.
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