MUSC371

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MUSC371

Carnival and the "Carnivalesque" MUSC371 SP

Crosslistings: LAST371

Next Offered in 9899 SP

This course focuses on celebratory seasonal rituals in the Americas (with a special emphasis on the role of music) including: Carnival in Brazil, Trinidad and Cuba; Haitian Rara; Jamaican Junkanoo and Mardi Gras in New Orleans. We will examine the socio-economic organization of carnival and its relationship to politics, Afro-American identity, nationalism and tourism. Music will be considered both as a signifying element and as a ritual medium. We will address questions of noise, power and display in carnivalesque ritual and their relation to social inversions and exuberant play. The class will combine discussions of readings, hands-on performance sessions, lectures and video presentations.

MAJOR READINGS

Gage Averill, "Anraje to Angaje: Carnival Politics and Music
in Haiti" ETHNOMUSICOLOGY
Mikhail Bakhtin, RABELAIS AND HIS WORLD
Roberto Da Matta, CARNIVALS, ROGUES, AND HEROES: AN
INTERPRETATION OF THE BRAZILIAN DILEMMA
Alessandro Falassi, ed.; TIME OUT OF TIME: ESSAYS ON THE
FESTIVAL CARNIVAL IN PERSPECTIVE (issue of Plantation
Society in the Americas)
Alma Guillermoprieto, SAMBA
David Kertzer, RITUAL POLITICS & POWER
Samuel Kinser, Carnival American Style: MARDI GRAS AT NEW
ORLEANS AND MOBILE
George Lipsitz, "Mardi Gras Indians: Carnival and
Counter-Narrative in Black New Orleans" in CULTURAL CRITIQUE
John W. Nunley and Judith Bettleheim, eds.; CARIBBEAN
FESTIVAL ARTS: EACH AND EVERY BIT OF DIFFERENCE
Richard G. Parker, BODIES, PLEASURES, AND PASSIONS: SEXUAL
CULTURE IN CONTEMPORARY BRAZIL

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Class presentation and term research paper.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

This is primarily a discussion class. Attendance is required and students should be prepared to discuss the readings each week. Musical literacy and/or formal music are not required. Preregistered students should attend the first class or communicate directly with the professor or they will be dropped from the class roster. Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.

COURSE FORMAT: Discussion Lecture

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UG Credit: 1.00 Gen Ed Area & Dept: HA MUSC

Prerequisites: None

Last Updated on MAR-10-1997

About the Photo:

Carnival in Rio de Janeiro

Reference:

Blackwood, Alan. MUSIC OF THE WORLD. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1991

Contact wesmaps@wesleyan.edu to submit comments or suggestions.