UCINTMES237.5 ECTSEnglishBachelor
Black Cultural Production and Social Change
Faculteit—
NiveauBachelor
Studiejaar2026-2027
Beschrijving
Course goals
After completing the course students are able to:
- Listen to audio-visual examples and identify features that have cultural-political impact
- Connect concepts from cultural and decolonial theory to Afro-diasporic cultural forms
- Situate an audio-visual work of art in its historical, political and regional context
- Describe various genres of Afro-diasporic cultural production and explore their historical impact
- Demonstrate listening, presenting, and intercultural communication skills
- Explain how popular music relates to social movements, and sociological concepts such as collective identity, witnessing and testimony, solidarity, and Black liberation.
- Cultivate and communicate knowledge in the form of a scholarly video essay.
| Description of assignment | Assesses which course aims? |
| 1,2,5,6 2,3,4,6 2,5,6,7 1,2,5,6 |
Content
This course examines Black (Afro-diasporic) music, music videos and films with thematic links to Black music and its impact on society in America and Europe, which means we also discuss Africa and the Caribbean. The case studies, readings, and listening/viewing material suggest that Black music functions as a form of cultural politics, a philosophy and a way of building identity and community. They show how Afro-diasporic musical production has been woven into political movements and social transformations from interwar anti-colonial activism to Civil Rights campaigns. This has continued in the recent #BlackLivesMatter movement.
This course brings together history, media studies and social movement theory, whereby students will
Format
The course takes includes some Tuesday afternoons to accommodate for guest lecturers.
Students prepare for the seminars by listening to assigned music, watching films and other audiovisual work, reading the assigned literature, and developing opinions so they can bring comments and questions to our discussion. In addition to their midterm test, students curate a playlist with explanatory documentation identifying the course-relevant themes and practices they showcase in their playlist.
Students will also write a weekly reflections on the material as part of ongoing engagement with the course. This will be checked at midterm, and submitted at the end of the course as a cumulative journal.
Towards the end of the course, students will work on a video essay in small groups.
Students are encouraged to attend performances. Please approach the lecturers early in the first two weeks and we may be able to organize a shared outing, if you have suggestions. Otherwise incorporate attending performances into your reflections and discussions.
This course brings together history, media studies and social movement theory, whereby students will
- listen and engage with genres of music such as blues and spirituals, jazz, gospel, afro-futurist pop, and hip hop.
- watch and contextualize visual works (documentaries, features, music videos) with thematic ties to these genres.
Format
The course takes includes some Tuesday afternoons to accommodate for guest lecturers.
Students prepare for the seminars by listening to assigned music, watching films and other audiovisual work, reading the assigned literature, and developing opinions so they can bring comments and questions to our discussion. In addition to their midterm test, students curate a playlist with explanatory documentation identifying the course-relevant themes and practices they showcase in their playlist.
Students will also write a weekly reflections on the material as part of ongoing engagement with the course. This will be checked at midterm, and submitted at the end of the course as a cumulative journal.
Towards the end of the course, students will work on a video essay in small groups.
Students are encouraged to attend performances. Please approach the lecturers early in the first two weeks and we may be able to organize a shared outing, if you have suggestions. Otherwise incorporate attending performances into your reflections and discussions.
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