Signal to Noise: The Sounds of American Culture

Inundated by images and associated with the meteoric rise of such media as film and photography, the past century has long been considered a predominantly visual era. Yet, sound offers alternative sensory platforms for understanding American culture and history. ¿Sound history,¿ as Jonathan Sterne writes, ¿indexes changes in human nature and the human body ¿ in life and in death.¿ Similarly, transformations in American landscapes, from its cities to its national parks, can be heard as well as seen. In this course, we will explore the intertwined histories of sound, society, and space, asking how developments in auditory media have engaged with broader American culture. Through a study of history, film, literature, music, and other media, we will look at the relationship between sound and cultural change, as well as evolving attitudes towards diverse human bodies and identities.