MUS 201-01 - Topics in Music & Culture: Music, Healing, and Culture

4 credits (Spring)

Healers in many cultures use music either to complement other therapies or as a primary method of intervention. This course surveys readings on diagnostic and therapeutic musical practices across various cultures. We use a range of analytical tools to consider what performances of musical healing reveal about culturally constructed notions of illness and health. Class discussions and writing activities familiarize students with debates about the functions and efficacy of music in medicine, and community engagement provides local context for some of those debates.

Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Hoesing