Course Schedule and Catalog

Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult

Meeting: 11:00AM - 12:15PM MW (24-AUG-2026 - 4-DEC-2026) 

Part of Term: Full Term

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Language of Instruction: Taught in French

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Method of Instruction: Face to Face

Credit Hours: 3

 

Section Max Enrollment: 25

Section Enrolled: 9

Waitlisted: 0 (Max 99) 

Current members of the waitlist have priority for available seats.

Enrollment data as of: 26-APR-2026 12:04PM

 

 

Final Exam: No Final Exam

 

Description: This course explores music as a cultural archive and social force across the French-speaking world. We will listen to, read, and analyze songs and sound cultures from French-speaking countries in France, the Caribbean, West and Central Africa, North Africa, Québec, Belgium, Switzerland, and the Indian Ocean, asking how rhythm, voice, language choice, and performance stage debates various social realities and challenges. Moving across genres such as chanson, rock, raï, zouk, hip-hop, rap, pop, electro, and Afropop/Afrobeats, the course treats music as both art and discourse, with attention to lyrics, music videos, live performance, and media ecosystems (radio, streaming platforms, and social networks). Students will practice close listening and close reading (in French and translation when useful), build a toolbox for analyzing sound and performance, and situate artists within the histories and politics that shape the Francophone world. Assignments can include a listening journal, short lyric analyses, a music video “shot-by-shot” commentary, a curated playlist with an annotated rationale, and a final creative-critical project such as a podcast segment or a short audio essay.