MC3609 Popular Music and Identity [Year 3]

BA Journalism Media and Cultural Studies

Spring Semester 2014

Module Co-ordinator: Dr. Rachel Cohen

Email: CohenR@cardiff.ac.uk

Lectures: Fridays, 0900-1100, Room 1.40

Seminars: Mondays, 0900 and 1000, Room 0.31a

Office Hours: Mondays 1430 - 1530, Room 1.30

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Aims of the Module

This module focuses upon some of the key academic concepts that can be used to

study the relationship between popular music and identity, as both are constructed in

relation to contemporary media culture. Taking a “psychocultural” approach, the

course will explore the complex ways in which our engagements with and

experiences of popular music become so meaningful for us in both conscious and

unconscious ways. Students will be introduced to the arguments and frameworks -

drawn from popular music studies, cultural studies, audience studies, psychosocial

studies and psychoanalysis - that can be used to theorise the role and significance of

popular music in our everyday lives. Some of the topics included are: political

economy and the music industry, music journalism, identity politics (gender, class,

ethnicity), music video, film soundtracks, advertising, genre, and music audiences

and fans.

Learning OutcomesUpon successful completion of this module, students will:

Be able to identify and have a good awareness of the key theoretical concepts

that inform our understanding of the relationships between popular music and

identity

Be able to select from these concepts in order to think and write critically

about the psychosocial significance of popular music in our everyday lives

Have engaged with the theoretical frameworks that can be used to explore

popular music and identity in relation to the media, and be able to apply these

effectively

TEACHING METHODS:Weekly 2 hour lectures: (Note that two lectures feature guest speakers, and one

lecture includes a film screening)

Seminars: Providing students with an opportunity to discuss key points from

lectures, set readings and, where applicable, film screenings

Independent study: Extended reading lists are provided as an accompaniment to

each lecture and students are expected to combine these with their own research.

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ATTENDANCE AT LECTURES, SCREENINGS AND SEMINARS IS COMPULSORY AND COMPLETION OF SET READINGS IS ESSENTIAL TO YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE WEEKLY SEMINAR DISCUSSIONS.

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FURTHER HELP WITH INDEPENDENT STUDY:Please note that the Bute Library, Arts and Social Studies Library and the Music Library all have large selections of books that are relevant to the module. The

Senghennydd Library (at Cardiff Centre for Life Long Learning) may also be useful.

It is therefore advised that you spend some time locating the libraries and the

appropriate sections, and familiarise yourselves with the titles that are available. If

any help is required in identifying such titles, please email me or see me during my

weekly office hours

CONTACT:My office is Room 1.30 and my email address is CohenR@Cardiff.ac.uk. Emails will

be answered within usual working office hours (i.e. Monday to Friday between the

hours of 0900 and 1700). All students are advised to make use of the weekly office

hours to discuss any issues arising from the module. Meetings can be requested

outside of these times if necessary.

POPULAR MUSIC AND IDENTITY AT A GLANCE:

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Lecture Date Lecture Title

31st January Module Introduction

7th February What Is Popular Music?

14th February Working in the Music Industry Today

21st February Music as a Technology of the Self: Psychosocial Approaches

28th February Writing for the Music Media Today

7th March Music as a Symbolic Resource: Psychosocial “Investments”

14th March Popular Music and Identity Politics

21st March Film Screening: Almost Famous (2000)

28th March Video/Image and Words/Sound in Popular Music

4th April Audiences, Fans and Popular Music

11th April Popular Music, Genre and Advertising

***** EASTER RECESS *****

9th May Essay Drop-In Sessions

METHODS OF ASSESSMENTEssay of 2500 words (50%)Research Project of 2000 words (40%)Seminar Participation: 10% of module marks Submission Guidelines: one copy of coursework must be given in through the

coursework box, which is located adjacent to the staff entrance to the Administrative

Suite. Instructions on submitting the essays correctly are given in a notice on the wall

above the box. An electronic copy of your coursework MUST be uploaded to the

designated Learning Central folders and via Turnitin before the deadline. The latter is

for the purposes of detecting unfair practice (plagiarism). Failure to upload a copy to

Learning Central will count as a non-submission.

The following marking criteria will be used for BOTH assignments:i) Presentation (proof-read; spell-checked; within the word count)

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ii) Use and scope of reading material used to support and argue points

iii) Clarity and structure of arguments

iv) Full and accurate employment of the Harvard referencing system, including a full

and accurate bibliography

ASSIGNMENT 1: Research Portfolio: 2000 words (40% of module marks) Deadline Friday 14th March (Week 7) by 12pm. Submit one copy in the essay box and one copy electronically

What you need to do:

Choose a band, album, gig, song or soundtrack to use as a case study, and

clearly introduce and describe your chosen example in your portfolio

With reference to the relevant academic literature on popular music, situate

your chosen example in its relevant historical, socio-cultural, economic and

technological context, by identifying the ways in which such factors are

significant to its emergence

Describe the relationship that your example has with any relevant forms of

contemporary media (e.g. magazines, newspapers, radio, social networks,

digital/online media), and explain how these media forms have contributed to

its publicity in terms of advertising, promotion, interviews, etc.

Using the psychosocial and psychocultural theoretical frameworks that we

have covered, theorise your own experience of and engagement with your

chosen case study, explaining how and why it has become meaningful for you

in a particular way/ways, i.e. does it function as a technology of the self, or a

symbolic resource?, which biographical life experiences is it associated with,

d i (i.e. what kind of feelings or memories does it evoke?, is it associated

with?, what kinds of unconscious investments might be involved in your

engagement with it?

You MUST address ALL of the above criteria in your portfolio, and must

engage closely with the theoretical concepts and academic literature studied

thus far on the module

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This is a portfolio and not a formal essay, and so you may include diagrams,

photographs, etc. if you feel that this is useful. Any such material need not be

included in your word count

ASSIGNMENT 2: 2500 WORD ESSAY (50% of module marks)Deadline Friday 9th May. Full details and essay questions will be distributed during the lecture in WEEK 8

NOTES REGARDING COURSEWORK AND FEEDBACK:We are aware that the quality of the feedback that you receive is of great importance

to you. Please understand that feedback is something that you receive throughout

your degree course, and is not simply the written comments included on your

assignment or essay papers. You are also actively encouraged to make the most of

this module, and we encourage you to ask questions when you have the opportunity,

in order to maximise your potential.

With regard to assessed work, the following standards will be adhered to:

The criterion for marking will be clearly displayed

You will receive detailed typed written comments on your text.

You will receive prompt feedback: all assessed pieces of coursework will be

returned within 4 weeks of the deadline.

The feedback that you receive will be explanatory and worded specifically to

help you improve and achieve higher marks.

Where necessary we will meet with students individually to ensure that

feedback is understood and explained

POPULAR MUSIC AND IDENTITY WEEK-BY-WEEK

WEEK 1 (31/01/14) INTRODUCTION: POPULAR MUSIC AND IDENTITY

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Set Readings:

Hesmondhalgh, D. and Negus, K. (2002) ‘Introduction’. In D. Hesmondhalgh and K. Negus (Eds.) Popular Music Studies. London: Hodder pp1-10 [Bute NX600.P66. P6 and online library access]

Frosh, S. (2010) Psychoanalysis Outside the Clinic: Interventions in Psychosocial Studies. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Chapter 7 – ‘Psychoanalysis and the Psychosocial’ (pp189-218) [Bute RC506.F7]

This first lecture provides an introduction to the module, and will address its key aims

and objectives, learning outcomes and assessment criteria. We will explore the

conceptual background to the module, and consider how and why its focus on

questions of identity and processes of cultural engagement distinguishes it from

conventional popular music studies. The discipline of psychosocial studies that is

central to our work will be introduced in today’s lecture, with an explanation of how

the epistemological frameworks that it offers can be used to theorise our

engagements with popular music. A brief overview will be provided of the different

topics that are to be addressed each week throughout the semester.

Further Reading:Brabazon, T. (2012) Popular Music: Topics, Trends, Trajectories. London and California: Sage

Frith, S. (2004) Popular Music: Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies. New York: Routledge

Longhurst, B. (1995) Popular Music and Society. Cambridge: Polity

Wall, T. (2013) Studying Popular Music Culture (2nd Ed.). London: Hodder and Stoughton

The Reasoning website: www.thereasoning.com

The Reasoning Facebook: www.facebook.com/thereasoning

WEEK 2 (07/02/14): WHAT IS POPULAR MUSIC?

Set Readings:

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Roy, W.G. and Dowd, T.J. (2010) What Is Sociological About Music? Annual Review of Sociology 36: 183-203 [online journal access]

DeNora, T. (2000) Music in Everyday Life. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (Chapter 1, pp1-20)

Kuhn, A. (2013) ‘Little Madnesses: An Introduction’. In: A. Kuhn (ed.) Little Madnesses: Winnicott, Transitional Phenomena and Cultural Experience. London: Tauris, pp1-10

This week, we will look at how the term “popular music” can best be defined,

situating it in relation to other forms of popular culture, acknowledging that, whilst

processes of representation are important in terms of how music becomes

meaningful to us, text-based studies tell us little about music’s sociological functions

and qualities, or its emotional significance. We will consider how our everyday

engagements with popular music help to construct our sense of self, and how they

structure and organise our individual and collective identities. In the latter part of the

lecture, we will begin to explore the ways in which a “psychocultural” approach might

be valuable in this context.

Further Reading:

Adorno, T (1990) ‘On Popular Music’. In: S. Frith and A. Goodwin (Eds.) On Record: Rock, Pop and the Written Word. London: Routledge pp301-14

Bennett, A. (2001) Cultures of Popular Music. Maidenhead and Philadelphia: Open University Press

DeNora, T. (2003) After Adorno: Rethinking Music Sociology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Shuker, R. (2008) Understanding Popular Music. London: Routledge

Silverstone, R (1999) Why Study the Media? London: Sage (Chapter 1) [Bute P91.3.S4]

Fifty Years of Pop - http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2004/may/02/popandrock

A History of Modern Music: The Timeline http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/interactive/2011/jun/11/history-modern-music-timeline

WEEK 3 (14/02/14): WORKING IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY TODAY

Set Readings:

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Wikström, P. (2009) The Music Industry: Music in the Cloud. Cambridge: Polity, Introduction (pp1-12) and Chapter 2 (pp46-84) [Bute ML3790.W4]

Gunn, J. and Hall, M. (2008) Stick it in Your Ear: The Psychodynamics of iPod Enjoyment. Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies 5(2): 135-157

IFPI Digital Music Report 2013 http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/dmr2013.pdf

Having explored some of the ways in which popular music forms part of our

everyday experience, this week, we will focus on what it means to be working in the

music industry today. The first part of the lecture will explore what the music industry

is, and what it does, and will look at how the music industry (especially in the UK) is

structured today in terms of who does what. We will consider how the processes of

music production, distribution and consumption - and the roles of writer, performer,

producer and audience - have been transformed in the digital age, and think about

how these transformations have influenced our experiences of popular music and

what it means to us. The implications of digitisation in terms of authorship, ownership

and intellectual property will also be briefly addressed.

The second half of the lecture will feature a talk from guest speaker Geoff

Downes. Founder member of The Buggles (Video Killed the Radio Star) and ASIA

(Heat of the Moment), Geoff’s career as a professional keyboard player/pianist has

incorporated everything from session work and radio commercials to an iconic

number one single and several Top 40 hit albums, as well as world tours,

songwriting, recording and producing. He continues to be hugely successful – and

incredibly busy! – and is about to embark on an extensive international tour with

Prog rock superstars Yes. Geoff will share his experiences of having worked in a

dynamically changing music industry over the last 30 years.

Further Reading:

British Recorded Music Industry (BPI) website: www.bpi.co.uk

Musicians Union website: www.musiciansunion.org.uk

Brabazon, T. (2012) Popular Music: Topics, Trends, Trajectories. London and California: Sage [Bute: ML3561.P6.B7

Holt, F. (2010) The Economy of Live Music in the Digital Age. European Journal of Cultural Studies 13(2): 243-261

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Kusek, D. and Leonhard, G. (2005) The Future of Music: Manifesto for the Digital Music Revolution. Boston: Berklee Press

Warner, T. (2003) Pop Music Technology and Creativity: Trevor Horn and the Digital Revolution. Aldershot and Burlington: Ashgate (Chapter 3: pp41-47)

Official Geoff Downes website: www.geoffdownes.com

Official Yes website: www.yesworld.com

Official ASIA website: www.originalasia.com

WEEK 4 (21/02/14): MUSIC AS A TECHNOLOGY OF THE SELF : PSYCHOSOCIAL APPROACHES

Set Readings:

Du Gay, P., Evans, J. and Redman, P. (2000) Identity: A Reader. London: Sage (General Introduction pp1-6 and Introduction to Part II pp121-129)

De Nora, T. (1999) Music as a Technology of the Self. Poetics 27: 31-56. [Online] Available at:http://www.sfu.ca/cmns/courses/2011/488/1-Readings/DeNora_MusicasaTechnologyoftheSelf.pdf

Building upon our considerations thus far of why identity matters in relation to

popular music, this week’s lecture will more fully explore the notion of a psychosocial

theorisation of our engagements with popular music. We will focus in particular upon

the ways in which music “gets into” our ongoing reflexive processes of self-

construction, and how our everyday music consumption can be used knowingly

(consciously) as a medium for forms of social and personal agency, helping us to

conduct emotional, memory and biographical identity work.

Further Reading:

Born, G. and Hesmondhalgh, D. (Eds.) (2000) Western Music and Its Others: Difference, Representation, and Appropriation in Music. Berkley and London: University of California Press

Hollway, W. (2007) ‘Self’. In W. Hollway, H. Lucey, and A. Phoenix (Eds.) (2007) Social Psychology Matters. Maidenhead: Open University Press pp119-144

Hollway, W. and Jefferson, T. (2000) Doing Qualitative Research Differently:

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Free Association, Narrative and the Interview Method. London: Sage.

Huron, D (2006) Sweet Anticipation: Music and the Psychology of Expectation. Massachusetts: MIT Press

Elliott, A. (2007) Concepts of the Self.  Cambridge: Polity Press

Wetherell, M. (2008) Subjectivity or Psycho-Discursive Practices? Investigating Complex Intersectional Identities. Subjectivity 22: 73-81

Woodward, K. (Ed.) (2000) Questioning Identity: Gender, Class, Ethnicity. London and New York: Routledge (pp1-41) [online library access]

WEEK 5 (28/02/14): WRITING FOR THE MUSIC MEDIA TODAY

Set Readings: Forde, E. (2003) Journalists with a Difference: Producing Music Journalism’.

In: S. Cottle (Ed.) Media Organisation and Production. London, California and New Delhi: Sage (pp 113-130) [Bute P96. E2. M3]

Shuker, R. (2008) Understanding Popular Music (2nd Ed.). London and New York: Routledge (Chapter 5 - ‘“On the Cover of the Rolling Stone”: The Music Press, pp83-98) [Bute NX600.P66.S4]

The first part of this week’s lecture will explore the role and relevance of music

journalists and music critics in today’s music media. We will examine some of the

ways in which music journalism differs from other journalistic roles and practices,

and will consider how the profession has been affected by the Internet and new

technologies. The questions (and problems) of objectivity and authenticity involved in

writing for specific publications, markets and audiences will also be addressed

The second part of the lecture will feature a talk from Jerry Ewing. Jerry has worked

as a rock journalist and writer for many years - he founded Classic Rock magazine in

1998 and Prog Magazine in 2009. He will talk today about his experiences of popular

music, from freelance journalist - writing for publications such as Maxim, Vox and

Metalhammer, to founding and maintaining brand new magazines.

Further Reading:

Brabazon, T. (2012) Popular Music: Topics, Trends, Trajectories. London and California: Sage (pp36-43) [Bute: ML3561.P6.B7]

Leonard, M. (2007) ‘Meaning Making in the Press’. In: M. Leonard, Gender in the Music Industry. Aldershot and Burlington: Ashgate (pp65-88)

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Mills, P. (2012) Media and Popular Music. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press

Weisethaunet, H. and Lindberg, U. (2010) Authenticity Revisited: The Rock Critic and the Changing Real. Popular Music and Society 33(4): 465-485 [online journal access]

Prog Magazine website: www.progrockmag.comhttp://careers.guardian.co.uk/music-journalism-work-experience-placements

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/museums-are-now-the-place-for-music-journalism-7923191.html

WEEK 6 (07/03/14): MUSIC AS A SYMBOLIC RESOURCE : PSYCHOSOCIAL “INVESTMENTS”

Set Readings:

Cohen, R. (2013) Investments in Cinematic Constructions of the Female Serial Killer: Re-Conceptualising Spectatorial “Identification”. Free Associations 64: 37-63. [Online] Available at: http://freeassociations.org.uk/FA_New/OJS/index.php/fa/article/view/80/100

Zittoun, T. (2007) Symbolic Resources and Responsibility in Transitions, [Online] Available at: http://doc.rero.ch/record/12796/files/Zittoun_Tania_-Symbolic_resources_and_responsability_20091022.pdf

Building upon the concepts introduced in Weeks 2 and 4, this lecture will further

develop your understanding of how our engagements with popular music can be

theorised in psychocultural terms. The concept of psychosocial “investment” will be

introduced, and we will consider how frameworks drawn from object relations models

of psychoanalysis can be hugely valuable in theorising the “meaningfulness” of

popular music in our own lives, especially in terms of the complex unconscious

processes that this involves.

Further Reading:

Bainbridge, C. (Ed.) (2007) Culture and the Unconscious. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

Clarke, S. and Hoggett, P. (2009) ‘Researching Beneath the Surface: A Psycho-Social Approach to Research Practice and Method’. In S. Clarke and P. Hoggett

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(Eds.) Researching Beneath the Surface: Psycho-Social Research Methods in Practice. London: Karnac, pp1-26 [online library access]

Frosh, S. and Baraitser, L. (2008) Psychoanalysis and Psychosocial Studies. Psychoanalysis, Culture and Society 13(4): 346–365 [online journal access]

Hepburn, A. (2003) An Introduction to Critical Social Psychology. London, California and New Delhi: Sage (Chapter 4, pp70-97) [Bute HM1033.H3]

Walkerdine, V., Lucey, H. and Melody, J. (2001) Growing Up Girl: Psychosocial Explorations of Gender and Class. Basingstoke: Palgrave

Watt, D. (2007) On Becoming a Qualitative Researcher: The Value of Reflexivity. The Qualitative Report 12(1): 82-101

Media and the Inner World website: www.miwnet.org

Transitional Phenomena and Cultural Experience [T-PACE] website: http://www.qmul.ac.uk/t_pace/

WEEK 7 (14/03/14): POPULAR MUSIC AND IDENTITY POLITICS

Set Readings:

Cohen, S. (1997) ‘Men Making a Scene: Rock Music and the Production of Gender’. In: S. Whitely (Ed.) Sexing the Groove: Popular Music and Gender. London and New York: Routledge pp17-36 [Bute NX600.P66.S3]

Connell, J. and Gibson, C. (2003) Soundtracks: Popular Music, Identity and Place. London and New York: Routledge (Chapter 6: Music Communities, pp117-143) [Music: ML3561.P6.C6]

Drawing upon the theoretical frameworks to which you have been introduced thus far

on the module, this lecture will provide a more detailed study of the ways in which

identity politics - gender, sexuality, nationality and ethnicity, in particular - can be

understood psychosocially in relation to popular music. Conceptualising music as

part of the complex processes through which we construct and perform our gender

and ethnicity, we will explore how popular music is “produced” and articulated as (for

example) masculine, feminine, heterosexual or black, rather than simply reflecting or

representing these elements of identity. We will also examine the ways in which

performance, sounds, visual style, dominant ideological “norms” and specific media

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discourses work to produce these meanings, and will consider how and why we are

motivated to engage with and interpret such meanings in particular ways.

Further Reading:

Burns, L. and LaFrance, M. (2002) Disruptive Divas: Feminism, Identity and Popular Music. New York and London: Routledge

Edley, N. and Wetherell, M. (1997) Jockeying for Position: The Construction of Masculine Identities. Discourse and Society 8: 203-217

Frith, S. (1996) ‘Music and Identity’. In S. Hall and P. du Gay (Eds.) Questions of Cultural Identity. London: Sage (Chapter 7)

Frosh, S., Phoenix, A. and Pattman, R. (2000) “But It's Racism I Really Hate”: Young Masculinities, Racism, and Psychoanalysis. Psychoanalytic Psychology 17(2): 225-242

Leonard, M. (2009) Gender in the Music Industry. Aldershot: Ashgate

Stokes, M. (1994) Ethnicity, Identity and Music: The Musical Construction of Place. Oxford: Berg

Tagg, P. (1989) Open Letter: “Black Music”, “Afro-American Music” and “European Music”. Popular Music 8: 285-98

Walser, R. (1993) Power, Gender and Madness in Heavy Metal Music. Hanover: University Press of New England (Chapter 4)

Whiteley, S. (2000) Women and Popular Music. London and New York: Routledge

Woodward, K. (Ed.) (2000) Questioning Identity: Gender, Class, Ethnicity. London and New York: Routledge. [online library access]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2010/may/07/behind-the-music-gender-gap

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WEEK 8 (21/03/14): POPULAR MUSIC AND IDENTITY AT THE MOVIES

Set Reading:

Anderson, L. (2011) Dancing About Architecture? Talking Around Popular Music in Film Soundtracks. Participations 8(1): 188-215 [online journal access]

Shuker, R. (2008) Understanding Popular Music (2nd Ed.). London and New York: Routledge (Chapter 10 - ‘“U Got The Look”: Film and Television, Music Video and MTV’, pp175-191) [Bute NX600.P66.S4]

http://theseconddisc.com/2011/01/28/friday-feature-almost-famous/

This week, we will watch the movie Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe, 2000). The

brief introductory lecture will consider some of the ways in which both the film’s

narrative and its soundtrack tell us about the relationship between popular music and

identity.

Further Reading:

Kalinak, K. (2010) Film Music: A Very Short Introduction. Open University Press

Machin, D. (2010) Analysing Popular Music: Image, Sound Text. London and California: Sage (Chapter 8: pp154-84)

Levinson, J. (1996) ‘Film Music and Narrative Agency’. In D. Bordwell and N. Carroll (Eds.) Post-Theory: Reconstructing Film Studies. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press pp248-282

Nelmes, J. (Ed.) An Introduction to Film Studies (2003) (3rd Edition). London and New York: Routledge (pp76-78)

Smith, J. (1996) ‘Unheard Melodies? A Critique of Psychoanalytic Theories of Film Music’. In: D. Bordwell and N. Carroll (Eds.) Post-Theory: Reconstructing Film Studies. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press pp230-247

Wojcik, P.R and Knight, A. (Eds.) (2001) Soundtrack Available: Essays on Film and Popular Music. London: Duke

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/crowe1.html

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WEEK 9 (28/03/14): VIDEO/IMAGE AND WORDS/SOUND IN POPULAR MUSIC

Set Readings:

Vernallis, C. (2004) Experiencing Music Video: Aesthetics and Cultural Context. NY: Columbia University Press (Introduction pp ix-xv and Chapter 9 (175-198) [online library access]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/sep/02/pop-music-branding http://timerime.com/en/timeline/596148/A+History+of+the+Music+Video/

This week’s lecture will consider the significance of image and sound as key

elements of our meaning-making strategies in relation to popular music. We will

explore the impact of MTV and the subsequent role of video in contemporary popular

music, and will consider how image and sound are used to create identities and

“brands” for artists and bands. Finally, we will examine the role and importance of

lyrics in popular music, particularly in terms of how and why they make songs

meaningful to us as listeners

Further Reading:

Brabazon, T. (2012) Popular Music: Topics, Trends, Trajectories. London and California: Sage (pp77-81) [Bute: ML3561.P6.B7]

Dyer, R. (1979) Stars. London: BFI

Frith, A., Goodwin, A. and Grossberg, L. (Eds.) (1993) Sound and Vision: The Music Video Reader. Abingdon and New York: Routledge

Klein, B. (2009) As Heard on TV: Popular Music and Advertising. Aldershot: Ashgate. (Chapter 2: pp23-40)

Machin, D. (2010) Analysing Popular Music: Image, Sound Text. London and California: Sage (Chapter 4)

Shuker, R. (2008) Understanding Popular Music (2nd Ed.). London and New York: Routledge (Chapter 10, pp175-191)

Treacher Kabesh, A. (2013) ‘Soundspace’. In A. Kuhn (Ed.) Little Madnesses: Winnicott, Transitional Phenomena and Cultural Experience. London and New York: IB Tauris (pp 65-76)

Zittoun, T. (2012) The Art of Noise: Commentary on the Sound of Silence. Culture & Psychology 18(4): 30-41

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WEEK 10 (04/04/14): AUDIENCES, FANS AND POPULAR MUSIC

Set Readings:

Anderson, T. (2012) Still Kissing Their Posters Goodnight: Female Fandom and the Politics of Popular Music. Participations 9(2): 239-264 [online journal access]

Bennett, L. (2012) Patterns of Listening Through Social Media: Online Fan Engagement with the Live Music Experience. Social Semiotics 22(5): 545-557 [online journal access]

This week, we will begin by exploring some of the key concepts and approaches in

contemporary fan studies, evaluating the ways in which these are relevant to our

study of popular music and identity. We will try to establish what it means to be a

music fan, and consider some of the implications of this as a subject position.

Drawing upon the psychosocial concepts with which you should now be becoming

familiar, we will explore the ways in which we might theorise our own experiences as

music fans, recognising these as being socio-culturally, ideologically and psychically

significant.

Further Reading:

Atton, C. (2010) Popular Music Fanzines: Genre, Aesthetics and the “Democratic Conversation”. Popular Music and Society 33(4): 517-531

Bainbridge, C. and Yates, C. (2010) On Not Being A Fan: Masculine Identity, DVD Culture and the Accidental Collector. Wide Screen 1(2): 1-22

Baym, N. (2012) Fans or Friends? Seeing Social Media Audiences as Musicians Do. Participations 9(2): 286-316

Brabazon, T. (2012) Popular Music: Topics, Trends, Trajectories. London and California: Sage

Harrington, C.L. and Bielby, D. (1995) Soap Fans: Pursuing Pleasure and Making Meaning in Everyday Life. Philadelphia: Temple University Press

Hills, M. (2002) Fan Cultures. London and New York: Routledge

Lewis, L.A. (1992) The Adoring Audience: Fan Culture and Popular Media. London and New York: Routledge

Sandvoss, C. (2005) Fans: The Mirror of Consumption. Cambridge: Polity

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WEEK 11 (11/04/14): POPULAR MUSIC, GENRE AND ADVERTISING

Set Readings:

Klein, B. (2009) As Heard on TV: Popular Music and Advertising. Aldershot: Ashgate (Chapters 1 and 6, pp9-22 and 97-120) [online library access]

Shuker, R. (2008) Understanding Popular Music Culture (3rd Ed.). London and New York: Routledge (Chapter 6) [Bute NX600.P6.S4]

Woodward, I. (2011) Towards an Object Relations Theory of Consumerism: The Aesthetics of Desire and the Unfolding Materiality of Social Life. Journal of Consumer Culture 11(3) 366–384

The first part of this week’s lecture will focus upon the role and significance of the

concept of genre. We will address the questions of authenticity and “quality”

associated with particular music genres, acknowledging these as inherently

problematic. In the second part of the lecture, we will examine the relationship

between popular music and advertising, and engage with some of the contemporary

critical debates surrounding the creativity vs. commercialism dilemma. Building upon

the psychocultural approaches developed throughout the module, we will consider

how the practice of music consumption might be theorised in relation to person-

object relationships, and will explore the powerful cultural implications of this.

Further Reading:

Borthwick, S. and Moy, R. (2004) Popular Music Genres: An Introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press

Bradshaw, A., Sherlock, R. and McDonagh, P. (2004) “You Say You Want a Revolution” – Music in Advertising and Pseudo-Counter Culture [Online] Available at: https://arrow.dt.ie/buschmarcon/45 Accessed 9 December 2012

Frith, S. (2002) Look! Hear! The Uneasy Relationship of Music and Television. Popular Music 21(3): 277-90

Jancovich, M. (2000) “A Real Shocker”: Authenticity, Genre and the Struggle for Distinction. Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies 14(1): 23-35

McAllister M.P (1996) Is Commercial Culture Popular Culture? A Question for Popular Communication Scholars. Popular Communication 1(1): 41-9

Stratton, J. (1983) Capitalism and Romantic Ideology in the Record Business. Popular Music 3: 143-56

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Street, J. (2003: 114) “Fight the Power”: The Politics of Music and the Music of Politics. Government and Opposition 38(1): 113-30

Tota, A.L (2001) “When Orff Meets Guinness”: Music Advertising as a Form of Cultural Hybrid. Poetics 29(2): 109-23

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/jun/29/tom-petty-michele-bachmann

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EASTER RECESS: 12/04/14 – 04/05/14

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WEEK 12 (09/05/14): ESSAY DROP- IN SESSIONS

No lecture this week. The seminar slots [Monday 5/5/14] will be used to provide last-minute advice and guidance on your final assignments

List of Further Academic Readings Relevant to the Module

Adorno, T., and Horkheimer, M., (2006), ‘The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception’. In: J. Storey (Ed.) Cultural Theory and Popular Culture (3rd Edition). London: Pearson Education

Bennett, T. (1993) Rock and Pop Music: Politics, Policies and Institutions. London and New York: Routledge

Butler, J. (1990) Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. London: Routledge

Cavicchi, D. (1998) Tramps Like Us: Music and Meaning among Springsteen Fans. New York: Oxford University Press

Clarke, S. (2006) Theory and Practice: Psychoanalytic Sociology as Psycho-Social Studies. Sociology 40(6): 1153-1169

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Cohen, S. (1991) Rock Culture in Liverpool: Popular Music in the Making. Indiana: Indiana University Press

Cohen, S. (2002) Folk Devils and Moral Panics: The Creation of Mods and Rockers. London and New York: Routledge

Duffett, M. (2000) ‘Transcending Audience Generalizations: Consumerism Reconsidered in the Case of Elvis Presley Fans,’ Popular Music and Society 24(2): 75-92.

Dyer, R. (2004) Heavenly Bodies: Film Stars and Society. London: Taylor and Francis

Elliott, A. (2002) Psychoanalytic Theory: An Introduction. Duke University Press.  

Finlay, L. (2002) Negotiating the Swamp: The Opportunity and Challenge of Reflexivity in Research Practice. Qualitative Research 2(2): 209-230

Fontana, B. (2008) ‘Hegemony and Power in Gramsci’. In: R. Howson and K. Smith (Eds.) Hegemony Studies in Consensus and Coercion. New York: Routledge, pp80-106

Freud, S. (1986) The Essentials of Psychoanalysis (Ed. A. Freud). London: Penguin

Frith, S. and Goodwin, A. (Eds.) (1990) On Record: Rock, Pop and the Written Word. London: Routledge

Frith, S. (1996) Performing Rites: On the Value of Popular Music. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press

Frosh, S. (1999) What is Outside Discourse? Psychoanalytic Studies 1(4):381-390

Gramsci, A. (1971) Selections from the Prison Notebooks. London: Lawrence and Wishart

Giddens, A. (1991) Modernity and Self Identity. Cambridge: Polity

Hawkins, S. (2002) Settling the Pop Score: Pop Texts and Identity Politics. Aldershot: Ashgate

Hollway, W. (1984) ‘Gender Difference and the Production of Subjectivity’. In: J. Henriques, W. Hollway, C. Urwin, C. Venn and V. Walkerdine (Eds.) Changing the Subject: Psychology, Social Regulation and Subjectivity. London: Methuen, pp227-263

Hollway, W. and Jefferson, T. (2008) ‘The Free Association Narrative Interview Method’. In: L. Given (Ed.) The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods. California: Sage, pp296-315

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Jancovich, M. (2000) “A Real Shocker”: Authenticity, Genre and the Struggle for Distinction. Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies 14(1): 23-35

Jermyn, D. (2004) ‘In Love with Sarah Jessica Parker: Celebrating Female Fandom and Friendship in Sex and the City’. In: K. Akass and J. McCabe (Eds.) Reading Sex and the City. London: IB Tauris, pp201-218

Johnson, J.M (2001) ‘In-Depth Interviewing’. In J. Gubrium and J. Holstein (Eds.) Handbook of Interview Research: Context and Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage, pp103-120

Klein, M. (1937) Love, Guilt and Reparation and Other Works 1921-1945. New York: Delta

Klein, M. (1975) Envy and Gratitude and Other Works 1946-1963. New York: Dell Publishing

Kuhn, A. (1993) Women's Pictures. London: Routledge

Kvale, S. (2007). Doing Interviews. California: Sage

Leonard, M. (2009) Gender in the Music Industry. Aldershot: Ashgate

Lewis, L.A. (1992) The Adoring Audience: Fan Culture and Popular Media. London and New York: Routledge

Longhurst, B. (1996) Popular Music and Society. Cambridge: Polity

Mautner, N.S. and Doucet, A. (2003) Reflexive Accounts and Accounts of Reflexivity in Qualitative Data Analysis. Sociology 37(3): 413-431

McNay, L. (2000) Gender and Agency: Reconfiguring the Subject in Feminist and Social Theory. Cambridge: Polity Press

McRobbie, A. (1994) Postmodernism and Popular Culture. London and New York: Routledge

McRobbie, A. and Garber, J. (1976) ‘Girls and Subcultures: An Exploration’. In: S. Hall and T. Jefferson (Eds.) Resistance Through Rituals: Youth Subcultures in Post-War Britain. London: Hutchinson pp209-22

McRobbie, A. (2009). The Aftermath of Feminism: Gender, Culture and Social Change. Los Angeles and London: Sage

Middleton, R. (1990) Studying Popular Music. Milton Keynes: Open University Press

Mills, P. (2012) Media and Popular Music. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

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Mitchell, J. (2004) ‘The Difference Between Gender and Sexual Difference’. In: I. Matthis (Ed.) Dialogues on Sexuality, Gender and Psychoanalysis. London and New York: Karnac, pp67-78

Mittell, J. (2001) A Cultural Approach to Television Genre Theory. Cinema Journal 40(3):3-24

Mulvey, L. (1975) Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. Screen 16(3): 6-18

Neale, S. (2000) Genre and Hollywood. London and New York: Routledge

Negus, K. (1999) Music Genres and Corporate Cultures. London and New York: Routledge

Rose, T. (1994) Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America. Hanover: University Press of New England

Said, E. (1995) Orientalism. Harmondsworth: Penguin

Sandvoss, C. (2005) Fans: The Mirror of Consumption. Cambridge: Polity

Schwarz, D. (1997) Listening Subjects: Music, Psychoanalysis, Culture. Duke University Press.

Shuker, R. (1994) Understanding Popular Music. London and New York: Routledge

Shuker, R. (2011) Popular Music Culture: The Key Concepts. London: Routledge.

Silverstone, R. (1994) Television and Everyday Life. London and New York: Routledge

Skeggs, B. (1997) Formations of Class and Gender: Becoming Respectable. London, California and New Delhi: Sage

Stacey, J. (1994) Star Gazing: Hollywood Cinema and Female Spectatorship. London and New York: Routledge

Stacey, J. and Street, S. (Eds.) (2007) Queer Screen: A Screen Reader. Oxford and New York: Routledge

Stokes, M. (1994) Ethnicity, Identity and Music: The Musical Construction of Place. Oxford: Berg

Stratton, J. (1983) Capitalism and Romantic Ideology in the Record Business. Popular Music 3: 143-56

Tagg, P. (1989) “Black Music”, “Afro-American Music” and “European Music”. Popular Music 8(3): 285-298

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Tota, A.L (2001) “When Orff Meets Guinness”: Music Advertising as a Form of Cultural Hybrid. Poetics 29(2): 109-23

Walkerdine, V. (2007) Daddy's Girl: Young Girls and Popular Culture. Basingstoke: Macmillan Wall, T. (2013) Studying Popular Music Culture (2nd Ed.). California: Sage Watt, D. (2007) On Becoming a Qualitative Researcher: The Value of Reflexivity. The Qualitative Report 12(1): 82-101

Wengraf, T. (2001) Qualitative Research Interviewing: Biographic Narrative and Semi-Structured Methods. London: Sage

Wetherell, M. (2008) Subjectivity or Psycho-Discursive Practices? Investigating Complex Intersectional Identities. Subjectivity 22: 73-81

Whiteley, S. (2000) Women and Popular Music. London and New York: Routledge

Zittoun, T. (2006) Transitions: Development Through Symbolic Resources. Greenwich: Information Age Publishing

Zittoun, T., Duveen, G., Gillespie, A., Ivinson, G. and Psaltis, C. (2003). The Use of Symbolic Resources in Developmental Transitions. Culture Psychology 9(4): 415-448

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Recommended further readings for pleasure (N.B: Please do not cite these as academic sources in your work!)

Hunter, S. (2005) Hell Bent for Leather: Confessions of a Heavy Metal Addict. London: Harper Perennial

Leonard, D. (2000) Maybe I Should’ve Stayed in Bed: The Flip Side of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Dream. Northdown Publishing

Leonard, D. (1996) Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics: The Legend of Man, a Rock 'n' Roll Band. Northdown Publishing

Levitin, D.J. (2008) This is Your Brain on Music: Understanding a Human Obsession. Penguin

Sacks, O. (2011) Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. Pan MacMillan

Recommended music documentaries

Blur: No Distance Left to Run (Lovelace and Southern, 2010)

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Classic Albums TV Series (Eagle Rock Entertainment, Various)

Dig! (Timoner, 2004)

Dream Theater: Chaos in Motion (Portnoy, 2008)

Duran Duran: Sing Blue Silver (Collins, 1984)

The Eagles (Ellwood, 2013)

In Bed with Madonna (Keshishian, 1991)

Iron Maiden: Flight 666 (Dunn and McFadyen, 2009)

Marley (Macdonald, 2012)

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (Berlinger and Sinofsky, 2004)

Michael Jackson’s This Is It (Ortega, 2009)

Nightwish: Showtime, Storytime (Bonus DVD 2013)

Playing for Change: Peace Through Music (Johnson and Walls, 2008)

Searching for Sugarman (Malik Bendjelloul, 2012)

The Devil and Daniel Johnston (Feuerzeig, 2005)

The Filth and the Fury (Temple, 2000)

The Pixies: Loud Quiet Loud (Cantor and Galkin, 2006)

The Rolling Stones: Gimme Shelter (Maysles, Maysles and Zwerin, 1970)

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin’ Down a Dream (Bogdanovich, 2007)Woodstock (Wadleigh, 1970)

Recommended films

8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)

24 Hour Party People (Winterbottom, 2002)

A Hard Day’s Night (Lester, 1964)

Amadeus (Forman, 1984)

The Commitments (Parker, 1991)

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Control (Corbijn, 2007)

High Fidelity (Frears: 2000)

Quadrophenia (Roddam 1979)

Still Crazy (Gibson, 1998)

This Is Spinal Tap (Reiner, 1984)

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MARKING GUIDELINES:

90 – 100% The Highest Academic Standard

Excellent range and appropriate use of material demonstrating broad knowledge of the relevant academic field(s).

Engaging, meticulously presented work with materials organised in an interesting and original manner.

Comprehensive, precise and perfectly presented with a complementary bibliography.

Work of the highest quality. Possibility of publication in academic journal or book.

80 – 89% Outstanding First Class

Exceptional quality of work. Creative, original and/or critical thinking demonstrated throughout. Widest range of literature demonstrating comprehensive knowledge of the

field. Highest quality of style and presentation, with meticulous attention to detail

such as referencing.

70 - 79% First Class

Superior demonstration in all aspects of the research, planning and presentation.

Demonstration of original ideas and arguments, within the context of a considered engagement with the key ideas and perspectives.

Strong intellectual grasp of a range of materials. Appropriate use of a wide range of relevant literature, demonstrating ability to

synthesise key ideas. Excellent organisation and presentation skills.

60 - 69% Upper Second [2:1]

Above average performance. Sound, interesting work showing good understanding of major ideas and

arguments. Appropriate use of some relevant literature. Generally good organisation, structure and presentation.

50 - 59% Lower Second [2:2]

Fair performance overall. Some understanding of the subject is demonstrated.

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There is an indication of some associated reading, but insufficient to answer the questions adequately.

A greater demonstration of independent thought is required in order to develop the student's own arguments.

There is too much reliance on sources that are not adequately acknowledged.

40 - 49% Third

Unsatisfactory performance. Weak, undeveloped work showing limited understanding of material. Insufficient use of relevant literature. Inadequate structure, presentation and organisation.

0 - 39% Fail

Inadequate standard of presentation. Failure to follow the assessment guidelines. Work below required standards in all major areas.

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