Concentration in Jazz Studies

About the Concentration in Jazz Studies

The special Concentration in Jazz Studies is an interdisciplinary liberal arts course of study that uses jazz music—and the jazz culture from which the music emanated—as a prism through which to study jazz culture during what might be termed the long jazz century, the sprawling twentieth. The curriculum in jazz studies guides students in developing a firm grounding in the traditions and aesthetic motives of jazz music, viewed through the perspectives of music history and ethnomusicology as well as literary theory and cultural studies. It also explores in depth the development of jazz-oriented art works in the music’s sister arts—literature, dance, painting, photography, and film. And while a US focus is highly appropriate, considering the many ways in which jazz is a definitive music of this nation, our special majors will also explore jazz’s geographical history beyond these shorelines, including complex, ongoing interactions with Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.

Interested students can view the course requirements, class descriptions, faculty profiles, and more, on the Jazz Studies bulletin.