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Lecturer(s)
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Blüml Jan, Mgr. Ph.D.
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Cígler Pavel, Mgr.
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Fischer Jakub, Mgr.
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Course content
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Topic 1: Redefining Popular Music: Dance Pop of the 1980s and 1990s Topic 2: Affective Economy: Teen Idols, Fandom, and the Standardisation of Music Topic 3: Soft Power: K-pop and Asian Pop Culture Topic 4: The Platformisation of Music: Streaming, Algorithms, and the Attention Economy Topic 5: Posthumanism: Auto-Tune, Voice Technology, and Authenticity Topic 6: Melancholy and Trauma: Trap and the Sonic Aesthetics of the "SoundCloud Generation" Topic 7: Sampling and Copyright: Remix Culture Topic 8: The Commodification of Authenticity: Gangsta Rap and Late Capitalism Topic 9: Women in Pop: Intersectionality, Postfeminism, and the Politics of the Body Topic 10: Glocalisation, Moral Panic, and the Criminalisation of Culture: Grime and Drill Topic 11: From the Underground to the Mainstage: Subcultural Capital and the Commercialisation of the Dance Music Scene Topic 12: Retromania and Hauntology: Popular Music and Its Past
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Learning activities and teaching methods
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Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming), Work with Text (with Book, Textbook), Listening
- Attendace
- 3 hours per semester
- Semestral Work
- 52 hours per semester
- Homework for Teaching
- 20 hours per semester
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Learning outcomes
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The course focuses on the critical reflection of selected phenomena that shape the production and reception of popular music in the twenty-first century. Individual musical genres, scenes, and cultural phenomena serve as case studies for exploring broader social, economic, technological, and political contexts. The course aims to develop students' ability to critically analyse contemporary popular music and music culture, engage with scholarly literature, and apply theoretical concepts to specific musical and cultural phenomena. The seminar is based on the completion of seminar assignments (independent preparation), engagement with scholarly literature, and group discussions.
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to critically analyse contemporary popular music and music culture within broader social, economic, technological, and political contexts, understand selected theoretical approaches to the study of popular music, and apply them to specific musical and cultural phenomena. They will be able to engage with scholarly literature, identify and critically assess the main arguments of scholarly texts, independently formulate and substantiate their own interpretations of selected phenomena in popular music, and discuss scholarly issues from different theoretical and interpretative perspectives.
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Prerequisites
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A general knowledge of the history of popular music is expected, as well as a basic knowledge of twentieth-century cultural history.
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Assessment methods and criteria
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Student performance, Seminar Work
Attendance at a minimum of 75% of classes is compulsory, as is active participation in seminar discussions. Students are required to complete the assigned seminar tasks to the required standard (in written assignments, all sources must be properly cited; submitted work will be subject to plagiarism checks).
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Recommended literature
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COVACH, John. What's That Sound?: An Introduction to Rock and Its History. W. W. Norton & Company.
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