Z202/History of Rock Music II: Rock's Classic Era

Dr. Glenn Gass
Professor of Music
Music in General Studies Department

Z202 is a history and appreciation of the musical and social trends of the 1960's. The course begins with the Beatles and the 1964 British Invasion that signaled the arrival of rock's second generation, then moves on to the other major mid-sixties figures, including Bob Dylan, the Byrds, the Beach Boys and the long list of great soul and Motown singers. The latter part of the course looks at the musical explosion and social upheaval of the late 1960's, with a special emphasis on Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and other Guitar Heroes, San Francisco psychedelia, hard rock, art-rock, singer-songwriters and enduring visionaries like Neil Young, Van Morrison and Lou Reed. Z202 is enganced by an extensive series of multimedia lecture companions created by Glenn Gass, Project Coordinator Kathryn Propst and the staff of the Indiana Univeristy Teaching and Learning Technologies Centers (TLTC).

Instructor: Dr. Glenn Gass, Sycamore 139, 855-9460; Email: gass@indiana.edu

Grading Assistant: Kelsey McCardle, Email: kelmcard@indiana.edu

Course Information

Required Text: DeCurtis, ed., The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll

Required Listening: on reserve at the School of Music Library. Instructions are available online for using the reserve listening at the School of Music Library, as is information on the new Variations2 system.

The required listening is available in the School of Music Library, via the class reserves link, at any of the computer listening stations. The listening is also available as mp3 files via the course webpage. (Access is limited to enrolled students only and is password protected.)

Attendance is required and assumed. Your course grade will be determined by three exams (dates below).

No make-ups will be given without a valid and documented excuse. However, a comprehensive make-up exam will be offered immediately following the final exam. The make-up exam will include written and listening questions from all segments of the course. The make-up exam is required for anyone who must miss an exam and is optional for everyone else. The make-up exam will take the place of an exam with a lower score and cannot hurt your grade. (If it is the lowest score it will simply not count.)

The course grade is determined entirely by the results of the best three scores out if the four exams (including the comprehensive make-up). The grading scale is fixed and must remain so in a class this size in the interest of fairness. All requests to "round up" a score will be regretfully declined. The grading scale is:

Note: LAPTOPS, Texting, Twittering, etc. have proven to be too distracting and will not be allowed in the classroom. (Apologies to those of you who actually take notes their laptops!)

Fall 2009

EXAMS: September 29 and November 3; Final Exam and Comprehensive Makeup at 7:15 Tuesday December 15 in BH 013

Please refer to the printed syllabus (or Oncourse) for weekly topics and assignments.

Some Rock History encounters: