MA/MMus.

Critical Musicology and Popular Music, 2020

Assessment Essay of approximately 5,000 words

Your essay should be submitted electronically in January 2021. Details of electronic

submission arrangements can be found on the VLE.

SELECT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TITLES*

* YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO SET YOUR OWN QUESTION IN CONSULTATION AND

WITH THE AGREEMENT OF KN.

1. In what way, if at all, can it be argued that the study of popular music is political?

2. Are Adorno’s arguments still relevant. If you wish you may focus on a) aesthetic theory
b) the argument about the ‘culture industry’ c) the critique of popular music d) dialectic of
enlightenment.

3. Is the concept of postmodernism useful for understanding any aspect of popular music
practice and culture?

4. With reference to specific theorists and musicians, critically assess the usefulness of
any one or more of the ‘posts’ (i.e. post-feminism, post-democracy, post-soul culture, etc).

5. Can popular music express individual and collective identities? If so, how? If not, why?

6. Can musicians bring about political change? If so, how? If not, why?

7. What is platformization and what impact has it had on the practices of musicians and
their fans?

8. Is the study of popular music biased towards certain time periods and parts of the
world? If yes, why? If no, should it be?