MP533: Why Music Matters: Music and Mission in Contemporary Culture (4 units)

Barry Taylor, Adjunct Instructor in Contemporary Culture
Barry Taylor is one of the founders of Sanctuary, an alternative Christian gathering in Santa Monica California, focused on creating dialog and communication with those outside the reaches of more traditional church plants. He is also a singer/songwriter whose work has been used in movie soundtracks. He is currently working on a book about Popular Culture and Theology.
Winter 2003 Pasadena

DESCRIPTION:

We live in an age where music plays an unparalleled role. From elevators to concert halls our lives are immersed in music. Christian faith has had a long relationship with music from Gregorian chants to Contemporary worship. How should we think about music and what role does it play in the contemporary postmodern society and church? These are the subjects which will be tackled in this class.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• Awareness of the different genres of music in contemporary culture.
• Understanding of the various ways music can contribute to worship and ministry.
• Ability to critique appropriate and inappropriate uses of music in public worship
• Develop skills in the analysis of culture and worldview.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY:

Music plays a vital, often pivotal role, in both congregational worship and evangelism--this class will equip those seeking to engage contemporary culture, be it in pastoral ministry or social setting, by deepening our understanding of the nature of music and its role in our lives. The class will also be of benefit to aspiring/practicing musicians.

COURSE FORMAT:

Classes will be divided between lecture and discussion combined with a multi-media approach to listening and understanding music.

REQUIRED READING:

Performing Rites: Simon Frith, Harvard Press, 1996.
Sound Effects, Simon Frith, Pantheon, 1981.
Music and the Mind, Anthony Storr, Harper Collins, 1998.
Worship Evangelism, Sally Morgenthaler.
The Spirituals and the Blues, James Cone.
Popular Music and Youth Culture, Andy Bennett, MacMillan, U.K., 2000.
Global Pop, Timothy D. Taylor, Routledge, 1997.
In the Culture Society: Art, Fashion, Popular Music, Angela McRobbie, Routledge, 1999.
Distinctions: Towards a Critical Judgment of Taste, P. Bourdieu, Routledge, 1984.
Vital Signs, Music, Movies and other Manias, Serpents Tail, U.K.,1998.
The Ambient Century, Mark Prendergast, Bloomsbury, U.K., 2000.
God and Religion in the Postmodern World, David Ray Griffin, SUNY Press, 1989

ASSIGNMENTS:

A two-page (2) essay, typed and double-spaced, which outlines the students music preferences, instrumental capabilities (if any) and aspirations for the class. This will be required at the start of week two of the class schedule.
Two three-page (3), typed and double-spaced, book reviews from the required reading list.
A fifteen to twenty page (15-20) final paper on a topic to be approved by class instructor, related to the issues raised by class material. Topics need to be discussed with and approved by class instructor by Week 4 of the class schedule.

PREREQUISITES: None.


RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective.


FINAL EXAMINATION: None.


Last Date Edited: October 4, 2002