MUSC 170 - Music and the Environment

Credits: 5
Examines the engagement of sound in the environment such as marine, bird, and animal sounds, depictions of nature in music, and the impact of the music industry. This course will look the ways that human sounds (cars, planes, roadways, etc.) impact the natural habitat of animal and bird species and how these changes impact indigenous lifestyles. This course will look at how sound and music are used within environmental protests and how sound is used as a technical tool for city grid systems, acoustic weapons, and echolocation.

Satisfies Requirement: Humanities/Fine Arts/English
Course Fee: $10.00

Course Outcomes:
Students who successfully complete this class will be able to:

Analyze the use of nature sounds and imagery in music and how artists imitate, incorporate, and interpret environmental sounds across genres and cultures.
Assess the ecological footprint of the music industry, considering the noise pollution, environmental impacts of production, touring, festivals, and venue infrastructure.
Investigate how sound pollution affects Indigenous communities focusing on ecological knowledge and cultural practices.
Evaluate technological uses of sound, such as echolocation, acoustic surveillance, and water monitoring, and consider their functional benefits and ethical concerns.
Explore the role of sound in environmental justice and activism, including how sound is used to raise awareness, resist environmental harm, and restore ecosystems through acoustic ecology.
Investigate how noise pollution affects wild life and migration patterns.

Program Outcomes

Demonstrate a knowledge of historical genres and styles beyond current trends in music.
Demonstrate a deeper understanding of musical experience through active engagement with critical listening and discourse.

College-wide Outcomes

Critical Thinking - Critical thinking finds expression in all disciplines and everyday life. It is characterized by an ability to reflect upon thinking patterns, including the role of emotions on thoughts, and to rigorously assess the quality of thought through its work products. Critical thinkers routinely evaluate thinking processes and alter them, as necessary, to facilitate an improvement in their thinking and potentially foster certain dispositions or intellectual traits over time.
Responsibility - Responsibility encompasses those behaviors and dispositions necessary for students to be effective members of a community. This outcome is designed to help students recognize the value of a commitment to those responsibilities which will enable them to work successfully individually and with others.
Diversity and Equity - In order to advance equity and social justice, students will be able to examine their own and others’ identities, behaviors, and/or cultural perspectives as they connect to power, privilege, and/or resistance.