Topic for Spring 2026: Global Music in an Age of Empire

The early modern period (1500–1800) coincides with the first age of European overseas colonialism and the rise of the major seaborne empires to global dominance. Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, French, and English forces seized land in the Americas, Africa, and Asia and established colonies and commercial outposts. Global music history elucidates the processes that affected the musicking of the colonizers and the colonized. This course examines the impact of world exploration on the music of the Americas (North America, Mexico, Bolivia, and Peru), Africa (Ghana, Zambia, Nigeria), and Asia (Thailand, the Philippines, Japan, Korea, China), and the resulting repercussions on European music-making.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 10

Prerequisites: MUS 100 or exemption from MUS 100.

Distribution Requirements: ARS - Visual Arts, Music, Theater, Film and Video

Typical Periods Offered: Fall

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring

Notes: This is a topics course and can be taken more than once for credit as long as the topic is different each time.