2021-2022 Catalog

MUSC 201 The Ethics and Aesthetics of Sampling

In this class, we examine sampling, the capture and redeployment of audio sound artifacts, as both a means of music production and an epistemology for constructing knowledge. After reviewing the rich history and theory of hip hop sampling, we will relate this model of musical production to other theories of cultural repetition including cut-and-paste, pastiche, index, simulacrum, collage, citation, signifying(g) and performative repetition. Finally, we will examine the ethics of sampling in the context of neoliberal economic and legal imperatives (including international copyright laws) which have been uneven in their protection of artists and producers. This course satisfies the Second-Stage Writing Requirement within the Music major.

Credits

4 units

Core Requirements Met

  • Fine Arts
  • Global Connections