Required Media (Listening + Video):
- Alice Coltrane, “Journey In Satchidananda” (1970):
- Esperanza Spalding, “Formwela 7” (2021):
- Lauryn Hill, “To Zion” (1998):
- Janelle Monae, “Q.U.E.E.N. feat. Erykah Badu” (2013):
A 1-2 page short paper on a song or recording selected from our required listening. Like our Discussion Forums, this short paper is intended to engage with our required materials in a dialogic, analytical, and open-ended way. In this case, however, students are encouraged to explore a topic independently and with more focus.
Your writeup should include the following details:
1) Select a Song or Recording (1 paragraph / 5 pts)
Identify a specific recording selected from our required materials (you can talk about any of the required listening examples featured in Weeks 1-3 of this class).
2) Culture of Color (1 paragraphs / 5 pts)
To which race, ethnicity, or cultural group of color does this recording apply? (Example: John Coltranes Alabama speaks to the experiences of African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.)
3) Analysis (2-3 paragraphs / 10 pts)
How does your chosen recording relate to issues of racial equity?
How does your chosen recording relate to the practice of social or political advocacy? If the recording you chose has ties to a specific historical event or revolutionary movement, please explain. *If it helps to explain your ideas, please provide analysis of the songs lyrics, musical content, or music video.
5) Citations (5 pts)
Include at least 2 inline citations to 2 different assigned readings drawn from Wks 1-3.
Citation format can be simplified/shorthand, and abbreviations are acceptable. (A works cited page is not required.)
Example 1 – if referencing a book, include the name of the author, title of the book or article, and page number:
(Jones, Jazz and the White Critic, 11)
Example 2 – if referencing an online article, include only the author and title of the article:
(Rohter, Borders and Epochs)
4) Comparison (1 paragraph / 2 pts / Extra Credit)
Find an example of a recording not included in our required listening examples and discuss the ways in which it relates to the recording chosen as the topic of your Reflection Paper.
