HNRS 3302 - Civil Rights & Jazz, 1970-75

“Civil Rights and Jazz,” the second course in a trilogy of studies in twentieth century American literature, music, and culture, picks up where its predecessor, “Jazz, Blues, and the Harlem Renaissance, 1920-1950,” leaves off. While this earlier course is not considered a prerequisite for the present class, many of the musicians and authors overlap and several continuing themes will be further developed. “Civil Rights and Jazz” is more deeply grounded in our present historical moment by the conviction that our “culture wars” of the past half century, as well as the frequent analogies drawn between the era of Vietnam and Civil Rights with our present globalized “age of terror” (this is reflected in our current political climate and in the #BlackLivesMatter movement) offer powerful evidence that the past is still present: we are still coming to terms with the unfinished business of the Civil War, the failure of Reconstruction. The Black Codes that led into the Jim Crow Laws and the legacy of the 60’s. This course satisfies WMU Essential Studies Level 2: Exploration and Discovery – Artistic Theory and Practice Category.

Credits: 3 hours