Music HIstory

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Select one of the documentaries listed below. All of these are available to stream through the librarys website or are on reserve at Irwin Library.  If you would like to watch a documentary that is not on this list, please check with me.

Watch the entire documentary. This is on the honor system. It is your loss if you choose not to engage fully with this assignment.

Write and carefully edit a response of approximately 23 pages (ca. 500750 words). Your response should be organized into coherent paragraphs. You may write in first person (I, me, my, etc.) when appropriate, but please maintain a formal, academic style of writing.

Your response should include the following:

One to two paragraphs in which you introduce the documentary (the title, when it was made, where it was made, who made it, etc.) and summarize its content. What is the documentary about? Who are some of the main figures? What kind(s) of music are introduced? What is the films agenda/argument/purpose? In this section, try to be succinct and objective.
Two to three paragraphs in which you articulate a response to the documentary. Be sure to explain and defend your response (i.e. it is not enough to say I loved it or I hated it without supporting your opinion). Please address both of the following:
Your broad impressions of the documentary. You may wish to consider some (probably not all!) of the following questions: What did you learn from the documentary? What did you think about the concept of the documentary as a whole? Did you respond strongly to it or not? What did you think about how the filmmakers portrayed the people/musics/cultures in the film? Would you recommend this documentary to a friend or family member? Why or why not?
Your specific impressions of a single aspect of the documentary. Identify a specific scene, interviewee, musical moment, etc. that caught your attention and discuss your thoughts on it. This could be something that you especially liked, something you found especially problematic, something that you found difficult to relate to, something that seemed very relatable, etc.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The quality of your writing is a component of your grade. I am expecting polished, proofread essays, not first drafts. If you would like help proofreading your essay, please make an appointment with the Butler Writers Studio (https://www.butler.edu/writersstudio (Links to an external site.)) or ask our GA, Daniel, for help.

Recommended Documentaries:
Some of these links may not work if you are off campus. In that case, go directly through the library website (for Sonita, access the database Kanopy through the library website).

Sonita  (Links to an external site.)(about an Afghan feminist rapper; 2015, approx. 90 minutes).
Stream as an eVideo through Butler Libraries database Kanopy Streaming.
Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (Links to an external site.) (2006, approx. 90 minutes).
DVD is on reserve at Irwin Library.
Soundtrack for a Revolution: Freedom Songs from the Civil Rights Era (Links to an external site.) (2009, approx. 80 minutes).
Stream as an eVideo through Butler Libraries website.
Narco Cultura (Links to an external site.) (about music and the drug war on the U.S./Mexico border; 2014, approx. 100 minutes).
DVD is on reserve at Irwin Library (also on Amazon Prime). Please note: this film is rated R and the content is intense.
Viva Cuba Libre: Rap is War (Links to an external site.) (2015, approx. 70 minutes).
Stream as an eVideo through Butler Libraries website.
The Believers: The First Transgender Gospel Choir (Links to an external site.) (2006, approx. 80 minutes).
Stream as an eVideo through Butler Libraries website.

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