USC Schedule of Classes

Spring 2025

classes begin
registration begins

Special Studies in Music Since 1900

Section 44109

  • Note: Topic: Nationalism and the Western Art Music Tradition in the Long Twentieth Century Course description: In this course, we will consider the competing and chaotic definitions of "nation" and "nationalism" that have evolved in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and the role that music has often played in articulating national identity and in shaping or responding to political turmoil. Throughout the course, we will immerse ourselves in a variety of case studies, thinking about the language that composers, performers, and audiences have used to promot national musical traditions and to imagine national musical pasts. Throughout the course, we will continually work across genres, building bridges across the "high/low" divide, even as we retain a primary focus on the "Western Art Music Tradition." We will investigate the often unpredictable and surprising effects that have resulted from composers' and political leaders' attempts to control or to produce "national music." Thus, in addition to considering our case studies in their original historical context, we will also trace the waysin which narratives of nationalism have shaped musical practive and performance over time, and the complicated ethical and political questions that face us as we perform, program, and teach this music in its contexts.
  • Session Dates (session code 001)
    First day of classes:
    Monday, January 13, 2025
    Last day to add:
    Friday, January 31, 2025
    Last day to change to Pass/No Pass:
    Friday, January 31, 2025
    Last day to drop without a mark of "W" and receive a refund:
    Friday, January 31, 2025
    Last day to withdraw without a “W” on transcript or change pass/no pass to letter grade:
    Friday, February 28, 2025
    Last day to drop with a mark of "W":
    Friday, April 11, 2025
    Last day of classes:
    Friday, May 2, 2025
    End of session:
    Wednesday, May 14, 2025
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