FRS 001 — Sec. 006 —
(1 unit) — CRN 53574 — F 11:00 - 11:50 am — 822 Sproul
Mexican Music: los clásicos
Instructor: Robert Irwin, Department of Spanish & Classics, College
of Letters and Science
Description: In this seminar, students will study the music and
public image of classic figures of 20th century Mexican popular music, such as
Agustín Lara, Toña la Negra, Jorge Negrete, Pedro Infante, and Juan
Gabriel, with a focus on how popular music and musicians influence cultural identity.
Students will become familiar with the history of Mexican culture through a survey
of popular music. Students will also acquire skills to critically analyze popular
and mass culture.
Format: Weekly readings and listening assignments. For the former,
texts or links will be provided on the course website. For the latter, students
will be required to purchase and download songs by the figures studied from “itunes”
or a similar website. Although fluency in Spanish is not required (and all readings
and discussions will be carried out in English), some knowledge of Spanish (or
at least a good Spanish dictionary) will be helpful in understanding song lyrics.
In addition, each student will research and analyze the work and public image
of a Mexican popular musical artist of her/his choice, chosen with the approval
of the professor. Each student will present a brief introduction to that artist’s
life and music, including three discussion questions, and will prepare a short
paper (3 to 4 pages) on the cultural meanings produced by that artist. Students
will prepare for each class by listening to music recorded by and reading an assigned
text about a major figure in Mexican popular music history. In class, discussion
will focus on the cultural significance of both the music (lyrics, style) and
public image of the artist in question. Grading: Grades will
be based upon class participation (30%), the oral presentation (30%), and the
final paper (40%).
About the Instructor: Professor Irwin is Associate Professor
in the Department of Spanish. He is a specialist in the culture of Greater Mexico.
His research interests include issues of gender and sexuality, and the cultural
tensions between Mexican national culture and that of the borderlands, both north
(Mexican north and US southwest) and south (Yucatan, Chiapas, the gulf of Mexico
region). His work takes into account multip0le genres of cultural production including
literature, film, music, art, comics, popular legends, and so on.