The Voice, Gender, & Sexuality in Music & Media

Voices are central to our lives, but overflow with oft-unexamined meanings. How do we parse the connection between a voice and a body? How do ideas about what constitutes good singing change over time? What does our interpretation of a voice reveal about us as listeners? This course investigates the deep connections of gender and sexuality to the voice from European music history to contemporary century American culture. Rather than taking a chronological approach, we will investigate similar phenomena from disparate places and times. For instance, we will study castrati and the BeeGees in the same week, considering how men who sing higher than we think they should unlocks a host of historically contingent desires and anxieties. Student from any discipline are welcome in this course; musical knowledge will be built and not assumed. Although we will focus on the voice in music, we will also consider adjacent media that particularly center the voice, specifically film and ASMR. Note: Although we will focus on gender and sexuality, it is impossible to properly handle gender and sexuality without considering how other identity factors (race, class, ability, etc.) influence our perception of voice, gender, and sexuality. I welcome your input on adding these factors to our discussions as much as possible.
Course Attributes: AS HUM; BU Hum

The Voice, Gender, & Sexuality in Music & Media

MUSIC 3036

Section 01