MUSA 1300 History of Popular Music

From the blues to country, jazz to rock, our nation's political, social, and economic history has been mirrored and influenced by the styles of popular music developed in our cultural melting pot. This course will provide an overall history of popular music in America, with emphasis upon mainstream popular music since 1954. Its focus will be on the independence and interdependence of black and white musical cultures in America. Students will learn stylistic developments in popular music and acquire interpretive strategies, including methods of aural analysis that will view popular songs as historical texts and as autonomous works of art.

Course overview

Department
Music Academic
School
MCAS
Credits
3
Level
Undergraduate
Offered
Every Fall,Every Spring,Every Summer

Catalog details

Satisfies core
Arts

Catalog text is imported from the reviewed Boston College course snapshot. Confirm eligibility in EagleApps.

Requirements fulfilled

  • University Core: Arts (All undergraduates)

Requirement eligibility can vary by school, cohort, and section. Confirm the selected section in EagleApps or with an advisor.

Official evaluation summary

3.88 / 5

Based on 914 aggregate responses from BC Avalanche/Blue evaluations.

Data freshness

Course and evaluation data last updated 2026-08-02. Source details and limitations are documented in Data Sources and Methodology.

Instructors

  • Amanda E Daly Berman
    Summer 2026
  • Jason Mccool
    Summer 2026, Fall 2025, Summer 2025, Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Summer 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021 · Official rating 4.40/5
  • Amanda Daly Berman
    Spring 2026, Fall 2025, Summer 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2023, Spring 2023 · Official rating 4.08/5
  • Donald James
    Fall 2021 · Official rating 3.81/5
  • Sarah Lindmark
    Spring 2026, Fall 2025 · Official rating 4.14/5
  • Timothy Mangin
    Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2022 · Official rating 2.59/5

Sections

  • Section 01
    Summer 2026 · Amanda E Daly Berman · On-line Asynchronous · Offered
  • Section 02
    Summer 2026 · Jason Mccool · On-line Asynchronous · Offered