Music & The Global Core
At the center of the Columbia College education is the Core Curriculum. It aims to widen Columbia’s students’ perspectives by teaching them critical thinking and history through the study of science, philosophy, literature, art, and music. When the University launched their first general education course, Contemporary Civilization, in 1919, it became the first college general education program in the United States. Rather than just transmitting knowledge or developing expertise in its students, Contemporary Civilization helped them develop their own ideas and create knowledge as a class by mixing historical knowledge with the self-awareness of the present.
In the century that followed, Columbia expanded the offering of Core Curriculum courses. In 1937, Humanities A (Literature) and Humanities B (Visual Arts and Music) were added to the collection of courses. By 1941, Humanities B split into Humanities B1 and B2, which would later become known as Music Humanities and Art Humanities. These used to be electives, but both courses were made mandatory in 1947 to signal a commitment to giving music and visual arts the same attention that literature received. The Department of Music oversees the Music Humanities Core Curriculum course.
In 1990, the "Extended Core" requirement was created by the University (later to be renamed Global Core). This requires students to take courses in cultures not covered by Contemporary Civilizations or the Humanities courses. The Standing Committee of The Core maintains a list of courses that may be chosen to fill the requirement. This continues to this day, with undergraduate students being required to take two Global Core courses. The Department of Music currently offers 7 courses that can be taken to satisfy the Global Core requirement:
AHMM3320UN Music in East Asia/AHMM3321UN Musics of India & West Asia
These courses are topical (not comprehensive) surveys of some of the musical traditions of East Asia OR South and West Asia, and of their diasporas. Each tradition will be described locally, connecting it to critical themes that the course aims to explore. The purpose of the course is to introduce you to a range of indigenous and diasporic “Asian” musical styles, ideas, traditions, and artists through an interdisciplinary approach to the study of music as culture. A critical component of the course is to introduce students to indigenous theories and writings about the music in question. No previous background in music is required.
The course is designed to help students gain or deepen their familiarity and knowledge of historical and contemporary "Asian" music cultures through focused listening sessions and in-class lectures, discussions, and musical demonstrations and performances. By the end of this course, you should be able to demonstrate your acquisition of the following knowledge:
- Musical terms and concepts
- Historical perspective on aspects of the music of East Asia
- Enhanced music listening skills
MUSI2020UN Salsa, Soca & Reggae
A survey of the major syncretic urban popular music styles of the Caribbean, exploring their origins, development, and sociocultural context.
MUSI2030UN Jewish Music in New York
With the arrival of the first Jewish immigrants in New York in the mid-1600s until today, Jewish music in the City has oscillated between preserving traditions and introducing innovative ideas. This course explores the variety of ways people have used music to describe, inscribe, symbolize, and editorialize their Jewish experience. Along these lines, it draws upon genres of art music, popular music, and non-Western traditions, as well as practices that synthesize various styles and genres, from hazzanut to hiphop. Diverse musical experiences will serve as a window to address wider questions of identity, memory, and dislocation. We will also experience the Jewish soundscape of New York’s dynamic and eclectic music culture by visiting various venues and meeting key players in today’s music scene, and thus engage in the ongoing dialogues that define Jewishness in New York. A basic familiarity with Judaism and Jewish culture is helpful for this course, but it is by no means required. You do not need to know Jewish history to take this class, nor do you need to be able to read music. Translations from Hebrew and Yiddish will be provided, and musical analysis will be well explained.
MUSI2430UN Listening and Sound in Cross-Cultural Perspective
The objective of this course is to explore the relationship between listening, sound, and music across different cultures and in different historical moments and contexts. This will be explored by studying the historical formation of the sound archive of different parts of the world and the emergence of new technologies in the early twentieth century, and how different cultures consider the relation between natural and musical sounds.
MUSI4113GU Medieval Mediterranean Love Songs
This seminar will focus on love poetry in the medieval western Mediterranean. Readings will consist primarily of medieval lyric in Old Occitan, Galician Portuguese, Old French, Italian, and Castilian in conversation with concurrent kindred forms of the lyric in classical Arabic and medieval Hebrew from medieval Iberia and Italy. Most weeks will include listening examples but a background in music is not a prerequisite. All texts will be available in translation; originals will also be made available. We will emphasize close reading and analysis, often addressing the relationship between text and music.
MUSI4438GU Music and Global Africa
This course examines the transatlantic sounds of African music, including Afrobeat, Afrobeats, Amapiano, Chimurenga, Highlife, Kwaito, Makossa, Reggae, and more, to explore the rich cultural roots of African musical traditions and how they navigate and assimilate within the global popular culture sphere. From migration and collaborations to the rise of African artists in the era of advanced technology, the course uncovers how these genres transcend borders, inspire cross-cultural innovation, and influence the global music scene in contemporary times. Critical issues such as cultural appropriation, commodification, gender, health, and authenticity in the ever-evolving global music industry will be explored. By the end of the course, you will have a deep understanding of the complex dynamics driving the influence and dissemination of African music across the world.