Course Details in 2024/25 Session

Module Title	LI Black Music in Britain
School	Lan, Cult, Art Hist & Music
Department	Music
Module Code	09 37023
Module Lead	Alexander M. Cannon
Level	Intermediate Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-20 hours Guided independent study-180 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	Black music has fundamentally reshaped the musical landscape of Great Britain over the second half of the twentieth century. The Windrush Generation in particular brought musical practices from the Caribbean that generated many new forms of musical expression. Calypso, soca, dancehall, jungle, and grime now help weave the fabric of British music and constitute part of the ‘British sound’ exported abroad; indeed, British music is Black music. This module explores Black music-making in British cities (London, Bristol, Birmingham, and Leeds), which extended cultural practices from the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa into Britain. We highlight difference with white musical practice and the ways these musics solidify a sense of ‘home’ for members of the Black community; we also point to the ways that Black music has moved out of the subaltern and into the mainstream. We therefore investigate the historical circumstances that led to the rise of Black musical expression in Britain; where musicians lived and worked in Britain; the approaches to improvisation and experimentation practiced; and methods of dissemination, including underground performances, record labels, and pirate radio.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Evaluate characteristics of Black musics of various cities in Great Britain; Identify and contextualise the practices used by Black musicians in developing particular Black music genres in Great Britain; Identify, and where appropriate, analyse the contributions made by specific performers of Black music in Great Britain; Understand the routes used to distribute Black British music from the 1960s to the present.
Assessment	37023-01 : Weekly Reading Responses : Coursework (25%) 37023-02 : Webpage : Coursework (25%) 37023-03 : Ethnographic Essay : Coursework (50%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 25% Short weekly responses to readings (1250-words equivalent); 25% Webpage on the history of a particular Black music genre (1,250 words); 50% Ethnographic essay (2,500 words). Reassessment: Re-submission of failed component.
Other
Reading List