The minor in ethnomusicology offers students an expansive understanding of music in its diverse contexts, prioritizing global engagement, culturally-situated knowledge, and community-centered research. The foundation of the minor is a unique introductory course, Music in Everyday Life (MUSC 1001), which investigates many dimensions of the musical experience and music’s connections to society. Students select in-depth electives that focus on the music of a region or a particular musical genre, the global circulation of music, or music’s relationship to other aspects of the human experience, such as philosophy and aesthetics, identity and culture, society and politics, economics and social justice. The minor culminates in a course that invites students to conduct their own ethnographic research projects.
Ethnomusicological studies would enrich many programs or degrees, including but not limited to Africana studies; sociology; anthropology; Asian studies; Middle Eastern studies; Jewish studies; world language studies; cultural studies; women, gender, and sexuality studies; Latin American studies; religion; urban studies; Art + Design; cinema studies; communication studies; international affairs; theatre; political science; or health sciences. Music majors may also add this minor.
Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified.
Required Courses
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| 4 |
| Music in Everyday Life | |
| Music in Everyday Life
and Lab for MUSC 1002 | |
| Musical Communities of Boston | |
Ethnomusicology Electives
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| 8 |
| Music of the Middle East | |
| Topics in Diverse Musical Cultures | |
| Black Popular Music | |
| Topics in Global Music Cultures | |
| The Festival Experience | |
| Music and the Racial Imagination | |
| Sound and the Sacred | |
| Music, Noise, Silence | |
| Ethnography and the Arts | |
| Music and Social Justice | |
| Global Music Industries in Context | |
| Hip Hop in the Music Industry | |
GPA Requirement
2.000 GPA required in the minor. Students must complete all required MUSC and MUSI courses with a grade of at least C.
