MUSC 203I Musics of Central Asia

In-depth, ethnomusicologically oriented seminar on select music cultures in Central Asia. Comparison of theoretical, historical, and cultural aspects of musical practices from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and the Xinjiang region of China, as well as from the Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia). Students are expected to engage with the textbook and develop and evaluate a bibliography of academic sources on music and related practices from Central Asia. Students also expected to analyze sound and discourse from the region to make effective comparisons and to understand music and sound within their broader socio-cultural frameworks.