FRS 002T — Sec. 001 — (2 units) — CRN 65546 — F 3:10-5:00pm — 115 Music
Rock and Roll Films: An Overview

Instructor: Pablo Ortiz, Department of Music, College of Letters and Science

Description: I propose to teach a Freshman seminar on Rock and Roll films. The approach is based on the assumption that there are at least three types of films that focus on Rock and Roll: the satires such as This is Spinal Tap, the filmed concerts, such as Woodstock or Stop Making Sense, and the regular feature films on a rock and roll related topic, such as High Fidelity, Easy Rider or Sid and Nancy or The commitments, to name just a few. I would watch a least eight films with the students, focusing on cultural issues relevant to the time, place and circumstances of each film. Easy Rider, for instance is a product of the late sixties, an amazing vehicle to understand the issues of the time in the United States (Vietnam war, disillusion with the failure of the American dream, alternatives to the mainstream models of proper behavior); Stop Making Sense illustrates the eighties, the Reagan era and the alternative chic of New York's quirky intellectual elite. Why were these films successful when they came out? Why have they survived? What is the role of the music in this somewhat hybrid art forms? These are some of the questions that would be asked.

Format: The goal is to develop critical tools to examine and question generally accepted and admired forms of popular culture under different light, in an academic context. I will show the films, one per week, and there will be discussions and comparisons. A short paper (3 to 5 pages) focusing on either a film or a category will be required. Also, they will be required to watch other films, related to the ones included in the regularly scheduled contact hours. Grading: 50% on the paper and 50% on classroom participation.

About the Instructor: Professor Pablo Ortiz is a member of the faculty in the Department of Music. He is a composer, who has written music for films and plays. Among the courses that he has designed and taught are Wagner and Star Wars (Humanities 6), A Year in History, 1968 (Humanities 1) and The Music by Nino Rota in the films by Fellini and Visconti. He has hosted a tango show on KDVS for years. Time constraints have made it impossible for Professor Ortiz to continue with the show. He currently teaches composition and theory.