MUSC 2320 — 40,000 Years of Music Technology

4 semester hoursUndergraduateLectureNUpath ERNUpath SINUpath WIusually offered: falltypical days: WBostonTraditional

Surveys the relationship between music and technology from the Paleolithic Age to the present. Examines the origins and impact of diverse musical instruments, with attention to connections between musical and technological developments; the reasons instruments are accepted, modified, or abandoned; and debates about the effects of new technologies on music. Considers such forces as standardization, institutionalization, and commodification, as well as experimentation, hacker, and DIY cultures. Asks whether music technologies are “just tools” or rather carry with them ethical values and ramifications. By studying the sociocultural history of such instruments as the violin, piano, electric guitar and synthesizer, offers students an opportunity to gain an understanding of the interplay between technological change and the enduring human need for music.

Prerequisites

Offering history

TermSectionsEnrolledCapacityFullOpen seats/section
Fall 20231181995%1.0
Summer A 20241161984%3.0
Spring 202511919100%0.0
Summer A 20251101953%9.0
Fall 20251181995%1.0

Snapshots from scheduled scrapes — not live seat availability. "Full" can exceed 100% when sections over-enroll.

Meeting times

Share of recent sections by weekday: M 46% · T 32% · W 68% · Th 46% · F 0%

Common patterns: MWR (46% of sections), T (32% of sections), W (22% of sections) — in patterns, R means Thursday

Professors

Fall

Spring

Summer A

Percentages are each professor's average share of the season's enrolled students in recent terms.

Links

Official catalog (MUSC course descriptions) · Student reviews on RateMyHusky · All MUSC courses · Plan it at numap.app