FRS 001 — Sec. 001 — (1 unit) — CRN 73025 — W 10:00-10:50am— 263 Olson
The Blues

Instructor: Julia Simon, Department of French & Italian, College of Letters and Science

Description: The blues is a uniquely American musical genre. The history of the blues echoes the African-American experience, from the Delta to the industrialized north, from Mississippi to Chicago, Kansas City, and beyond. This course will combine cultural studies with music appreciation to explore the history of the blues, looking at such figures as W. C. Handy, Robert Johnson, Bessie Smith, Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker and others. We will also learn about the musical structure of the blues, touching on chord progressions, bass lines and rhythms. Finally, we will examine the impact of the blues on other genres, such as rock, r&b and jazz. Work for the course will consist of readings on the history of the blues and listening to music. Students will discuss background readings and different styles of blues music that they have listened to, learning to analyze and appreciate their own reactions. In addition to class discussion, students will be asked to write short reaction papers and make an oral presentation. Possible oral presentation topics include blues lyrics, the relation of modern genres such as hip-hop and rap to the blues, and favorite artists.

Format: The seminar will meet for one hour each week. The instructor will lead a discussion based on reading and listening assignments. Music samples will be played and analyzed in class. Students will be asked to share their reactions and provide analyses of texts and music. Several short reaction papers of about 2 pages will be required along with a brief oral presentation. Grading: Students’ grades will be based on the quality of their participation in the seminar (25%)—their ability to demonstrate an understanding of readings for the class and an appreciation of the music samples they have listened to; the quality of the oral presentation (25%); and the quality of the 2-3 page reaction papers (50%).

About the Instructor: Julia Simon is a professor of French and chair of the department of French and Italian at UC Davis. Her area of expertise is the French Enlightenment. She has recently published a series of articles on music theory in eighteenth-century France. In addition to her academic interest in music, she is also a working drummer in a blues band and has been actively gigging for 4 years (www.blackcatboneblues.com).