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Southern Utah University

Fall Semester 2025

Popular Music in America (Online)

MUSC 1020-31I

Course:	MUSC 1020-31I
Credits:	3
Term:	Fall Semester 2025
Department:	MUSC
CRN:	33865

Course Description

This course will explore the rich and diverse genres of popular music in America from their origins to their development in the 20th and 21st Centuries.

Required Texts

REQUIRED TEXT: There is no required text for this course. The class is based on a textbook, but it will not be necessary for assignments. The content in this course is found in THE VIDEOS IN MEDIA GALLERY.

RECOMMENDED TEXT: American Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MP3. Larry Starr and Christopher Waterman, 4th/5th Edition.

CANVAS: Canvas is the main method of completing assignments, quizzes, and exams in this course, and a source of inter-class communication. Check Canvas often, and have notifications enabled so you do not miss announcements. (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT IN THE SUMMER.)

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Recognize and define the varied styles of music that form the roots and branches of American popular music.
Identify major performers of American popular music and recognize their historical contribution to music and society.
Describe and understand the sociological, political, economic, and technological forces that influence(d) the development of American popular music.
Understand basic musical concepts of rhythm, melody, and harmony, including basic terminology and notation.

ESSENTIAL LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Communication: Students develop and express ideas and will be able to do so in a variety of ways, namely in writing, by speaking, visually, kinesthetically, through design, or aurally.

2. Creative Thinking: Students combine or synthesize existing ideas, images, or expertise in original ways, as well as think, react, and work in an imaginative way.

3. Knowledge of Human Cultures & Physical & Natural World: Students demonstrate knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world through study in the fine arts, humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and life and physical sciences.

Course Requirements

Course Assessment Table

Course Assessments	Course Outcomes
Concert Reports	#1,4
Discussions	#1,2,3
Song Analyses	#4
Group Project Final	#1,2,3,4
Listening Quizzes	#4
Exams	#1,2,3,4

Assignment Outline

Concert Reports (18%)

Discussions (18%)

Song Analyses (17%)

Group Project Final (17%)

Listening Quizzes (0%)(NOT in this section)

Exams (30%)

Grade Scheme

The following grading standards will be used in this class:

Grade	Range
A	100 % to 94.0%
A-	< 94.0 % to 90.0%
B+	< 90.0 % to 87.0%
B	< 87.0 % to 84.0%
B-	< 84.0 % to 80.0%
C+	< 80.0 % to 77.0%
C	< 77.0 % to 74.0%
C-	< 74.0 % to 70.0%
D+	< 70.0 % to 67.0%
D	< 67.0 % to 64.0%
D-	< 64.0 % to 61.0%
F	< 61.0 % to 0.0%

Concert Reports: Students will attend or view online two live (or pre-recorded) concerts. They will then write a 2-page paper SINGLE-SPACED font size 14, with the works cited being on the third page. Works cited will include any resources used, as well as the link/website viewed and date viewed.

Discussions: In summer, there will be TWO discussion posts every week. Students must post one 100-word response, and then post to TWO other classmates' posts with 30 words (3 posts total, 6 posts per week).

Song Analyses: Students will write a 1-page+ paper on a song of their choice. Students are expected to submit papers having analyzed songs using the terminology found in the Elements of Music handout. Texture and Form analyses may be submitted in bullet format, rather than paragraph format. Each analysis should be a page long or longer and include important and creative details.

Group Project Final (Artist Report PowerPoint): You will be randomly assigned groups. Each member will be graded on their individual work, complete PowerPoint presentation (or Google slides), and a peer review grade for and from fellow students. PPT presentation will include info, images, audio links (optional), and visual links (youtube), as well as works cited page.

Each student will submit 4 slides to the group leader. 2 biography slides, 1 song analysis slide (using Elements of Music vocab), and 1 works cited slide. (Works cited slide info may be compiled into 1 final works cited slide by a group leader.) The Song Analysis slide can be more brief than our previous assignments.

Questions to be answered: 1. Who is the artist or group, and why are they worthy of exploration? 2. What is the artist's necessary background information? OR What is the band's origin? 3. Who are the person/group's major influences? 4. What are their major works? 5. What styles/themes do they explore? 6. What musical elements do they incorporate? 7. How has their music changed over the years? 8. Who have they influenced? 9. Based on all I have read, what do I believe to be the artist or group's major contribution to the American/World music scene?

*Be sure you use reliable academic sources and cite them. As a group, you can choose how to assign the topics - which may be individually, or as a group.

Listening Quizzes: The songs will be named, but you will be asked to identify certain characteristics of the songs - way fun!

Exams: There will be four exams, with the final being exam #4. Tests will be given on Canvas through Proctorio.

Required Extra-Curricular Activities: Students may need to attend a concert off-campus or view a concert online. (Two total)

Course Outline

Date(Summer)	Topic (In-Person sections)	Assignment Due
5/15	Syllabus
5/16	Chapter 1: Themes and Streams
5/17	Chapter 1 part 2
5/18	Ch. 2: Pop Music in the 19th Century
5/19	NO CLASS
5/22	Ch. 2 part 2
5/23	Ch. 3: Social Dance & Jazz
5/24	Ch. 3 part 2
5/25	Ch. 4: Tin Pan Alley
5/26	Ch. 4 part 2
5/29	Review
5/30	Ch. 5: Blues
5/31	Ch. 5 part 2
6/1	Ch. 6: Swing
6/2	Ch. 6 part 2
6/5	Ch. 7: Postwar
6/6	Ch. 7 part 2
6/7	Ch. 8: 1950's (Rock 'N' Roll)
6/8	Ch. 8 part 2
6/9	Review
6/12	Ch. 9: 1960's (British Invasion/USA Pop)
6/13	Ch. 9 part 2
6/14	Ch. 10: 1960's (Country/Folk/Rock)
6/15	Ch. 10 part 2
6/16	Ch. 11: 1970's (Rock/Disco/Pop)
6/19	Ch. 11 part 2
6/20	Ch. 12: 1970's (Punk/Funk/Rap)
6/21	Ch. 12 part 2
6/22	Review
6/23	Ch. 13: 1980's (MTV/Mainstream)
6/26	Ch. 13 part 2
6/27	Ch. 14: 1980's/1990's (Hip-Hop Alt.)
6/28	Ch. 14 part 2
6/29	Ch. 15: 2000's (Internet)
6/30	Ch. 15 part 2 & Review	Final /Exam 4 opens

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Online classes provide unique challenges for interaction. For messages sent to me, I will respond in the specified amount of time. Feedback is an important part of learning please look for feedback on your assignments that I provided in the specified amount of time, to find feedback look at this tutorial

How do I view assignment comments from my Instructor? (Links to an external site.)

How do I view annotation feedback comments from my instructor? (Links to an external site.)

It is my goal to:

Respond to student messages within 2 business days
Provide grades and feedback within 2 - 3 days from the due date

Late Policy: Late work will be accepted but on a case-by-case basis. ie a day or two late is acceptable, and the grade will be reduced, but turning in an assignment 2 weeks late will not be accepted. Just communicate with the professor when you need help.

Make-Up Work/Extra Credit: Students will be allowed to do an extra concert report or two in order to make up for lost points.

Attendance Policy

Attendance: Attendance is required. If you are ill, or instructed to quarantine, please communicate with the professor and/or provide a doctor's note. If there is a death in the family, please communicate with the professor about how to proceed with make-up work. 4 absences is grounds for being withdrawn from a class. Communicate with the teacher beforehand or on the day of class, and try to get the absence excused.

Course Fees

Program and Course Fees

Canvas Information

Financial Security Statement

Finances are an integral part of maintaining your wellbeing. If you are struggling financially or wish to know more about budgeting, please visit the Financial Wellness Center in room 201C in the Sharwan Smith Center, contact Ashleigh Zimmerman at (435) 865-8436, or text the Financial Wellness line at 435-708-1952.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.

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