Unit information: The Sociology of Popular Music in 2011/12

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Unit name The Sociology of Popular Music
Unit code SOCI20048
Credit points 20
Level of study I/5
Teaching block(s) Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director Professor. Marshall
Open unit status Not open
Pre-requisites

None
Co-requisites

None
School/department School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies
Faculty Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

The unit's central premise is that the creation and re-creation of value judgements are central to the consumption of popular music. However, these judgements are not individual whims but the outcome of wider sociological factors. The unit therefore investigates the sociological basis of popular music value judgements. This is achieved through an analysis of the most important factors within pop music discourse (such as the notion of authenticity and genre-rules) as well as by discussing how key social factors such as gender divisions and globalisation affect our understandings of popular music.

The unit aims to:

  • Help students recognise how social factors influence individual judgements within popular music
  • Show the relationship between production and consumption of popular music.
  • Encourage students to critically reflect upon their own popular music judgements.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Level 5:

On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:

  • Describe and analyse the social character of popular music evaluation.
  • Recognise the significance of the popular music industry for understanding the production and consumption of popular music.
  • Be reflexive about their own experiences of, and preferences for, popular music.
  • Analyse an element of popular music (e.g. album, star, genre) within the theoretical context of the unit.

summative assessment assesses all learning outcomes; formative assessment for student development.

Teaching Information

2 hours of lectures and 1 hour seminar.

Assessment Information

Seen exam 100%

Reading and References

  • Theodor Adorno (1991), The Culture Industry, Routledge, London.
  • Simon Frith and Andrew Goodwin (eds.) (1990), On Record, Routledge, London.
  • Simon Frith (1998), Performing Rites, OUP, Oxford.
  • Keith Negus (1992), Producing Pop, Arnold, London.

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