Minnesota State University Moorhead

History of Pop/Rock Music

 

MUS 342, Spring 2003
Center for the Arts 146
TH 3:30-4:20
Instructor: Dr. James Harley
Office: CA 138; tel: 236-2001
Office Hours: TBA
email: harleyja@mnstate.edu

 

Final (take home):

 

Write on any three of the following questions. Essay answers should be typed, double-spaced, and proofread. For every answer you should include style descriptions, dates, artists, titles, and other specific information. At the same time, you will be judged on your ability to synthesize the relevant historical currents. You may submit your exam by email.

 

1) Outline the main currents of the popular mainstream of rock music during the 1970s.

2) Outline the "outsider" elements of popular music as they arose in the 1970s. What was it about these genres/styles that put them outside of the "mainstream"?

3) Discuss the technological innovations which impacted popular music in the 1980s.

4) What were the main currents of the popular mainstream during the 1980s. How did this decade differ from the previous one?

5) Discuss the impact of MTV and other forms of mainstream media on the music industry from the 1980s.

6) Outline the history of hip-hop/rap music, tracing the influences leading to its ascendancy in the 1990s and beyond.

7) Describe what is generally known as "alternative" music as it arose in the 1990s. What was the relationship of the music industry to this movement?

8) Outline the evolution of "techno" music.

9) Discuss the impact "world music" has had on popular music in North America/.Europe.