STS 3121 - [Sound Studies: An Introduction]

(crosslisted) MUSIC 3432
(CA-AS)

Fall or Spring. Next Offered: 2019-2020. 4 credits. Letter grades only.

T. Pinch.

Sound as a medium has been neglected not only in the sciences but also in social sciences and humanities. We will engage with new emerging work in sound studies by addressing specific locations and activities where sound is important. These include histories of key sonic technologies such as the phonograph and electronic music synthesizer; places where sound is particularly pertinent such as the recording studio and the Laboratory of Ornithology; and practices where sound is the medium such as the use of the stethoscope in medicine. We will also examine interesting sonic locales such as the rain forests of Papua New Guinea. We will cover how sound figures in everyday activities such as economic exchange and in new media such as movies and video games.