- Welcome to Music and Social Action
- Learn what this course is about, who's teaching it, and other ways you can explore this topic. Meet and greet your peers as well!
- What is Art and How Do We Experience It?
- In this module, we will discuss philosophers John Dewey and Maxine Greene, and their respective views on the possibilities contained within aesthetic experiences. How can aesthetic experience meaningfully contribute to public life?
- Democracy and the Arts, Part 1
- How can artistic and aesthetic experiences make a more engaged public? Is there a connection between individual transformative experiences with art and any broader societal impact? What is the role of the artist in a democracy?
- Democracy and the Arts, Part II
- How have we conceived of the artist's role in American society? What are examples of artists furthering civil society? How do we continually imagine fulfilling the promise of a democracy, embracing Maxine Greene's notion that it is always unfinished?
- Arts and Urban Renewal
- How have the arts been a driving force for change in American cities? What are the potentials and pitfalls when positioning artists in this role? This class will pursue these questions through a series of case studies, including a video tour of arts organizations focused on urban renewal in Providence and New Haven, and the development of Lincoln Center in New York City.
- 20th Century Artists and Social Commitment
- This class will explore examples of artists from the past hundred years who have been committed to making positive contributions to political or social issues of their time.
- 21st Century Artists and Social Commitment
- This class will involve a discussion with performing musicians and a look at examples of artists and musicians from the past hundred years who have been committed to making positive contributions to political or social issues of their time.
- Creating Social Action
- In this final lecture, we will discuss traditions of social action, and how artists work toward building civil society.
- Final Reflection
- One of the primary goals of this course has been to explore the connections between key concepts from the philosophy of aesthetics, historical examples of musicians who worked toward social action, and contemporary artistic initiatives. This final response is intended to help you consider how these theoretical and historical issues relate to the role of artists and the arts in contemporary life, and how they might apply to your own community and your own involvement with the arts.
