Sound,Technology,andPowerCOMS608/SoundStudies—Winter2018

Mondays14:30-17:30,ArtsW5ProfessorJonathanSterneOffice:ArtsW280Officehours:byadvanceappointment,pleaseOfficePhone:398-5852(Irarelypickup;IcheckvoicemailatleastonceadayM)Email:jonathan.sterne@mcgill.ca(IcheckatleastoncedailyM-FwhenI’mintown—please

allowacoupledaysforareply.)

ProspectusThisyear’siterationoftheseminaronsoundstudieswillfocusprimarilyonrecentworkthatdealswithsoundandpower,andsoundandtechnology.Sometimesthesethemeswillbeconsideredexplicitlyinrelationtooneanother,sometimestheywillbeconsideredseparately,thoughaswillbecomeclear,powerandtechnologyarealwaysinterrelated,it’sjustamatterofperspective.Whatcantheoreticaladvancesfromworkonsoundoffertothecritiqueofpower,especiallyinamomentofworldwideneo-fascistferment?Conversely,howcannewperspectivesonpowerchangethewayweunderstandsound?Whatcanscholarshiponsoundoffertotheanalysisoftechnologyinamomentofgreattechnologicalturnover,realconnectionsbetweentechnologicalandsocialchange,andahighconcentrationoftechindustrybullshit?Howdoesacritiqueoftechnologyshapeourunderstandingofchangingsoundmedia?Someweekswewilldowholebooks,someweekswewilldoarticles.Studentswillwriteweeklyresponsesfocusedonimprovingtheirskillsasacademicwritersinthehumanitiesandinterpretivesocialsciences;thefinalprojectwillprovideanopportunitytoreviseandexpandoneoftheseshortpapers.

RequiredReadingsRequiredbookswillbeavailableatTHEWORDbookstore,469MiltonSt.514-845-5640,http://www.wordbookstore.ca/.Pleasenotethattheytakecashorcheckonly.Onlinesellersobviouslywillacceptcreditcardsifyougothatroute.Booksarealsoon3-hourreserveattheHumanitiesandSocialSciencesLibrary.Forthisseminar,itisstronglyrecommendedthatyouworkwithpapercopiesofbooks,ratherthandigitalcopies.RequiredBooks:AlejandraBronfman,IslesofNoise:SonicMediaintheCaribbean.ChapelHill:Universityof

NorthCarolinaPress,2016.978-1469628691MichaelDenning,NoiseUprising:TheAudiopoliticsofaWorldMusicalRevolution.NewYork:

Verso,2015.978-1781688564

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LouiseMeintjes,SoundofAfrica!:MakingMusicZuluinaSouthAfricanStudio.Durham:DukeUniversityPress,2003.978-0-8223-3014-1

AlexanderRehding,Beethoven’sSymphonyNo.9.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,2017.9780190299705

JenniferStoever,TheSonicColorLine:RaceandtheCulturalPoliticsofListening.NewYork:NewYorkUniversityPress,2016.978-1479889341

PeterSzendy,AllEars:TheAestheticsofEspionage,translatedbyRolandVégsö.NewYork:FordhamUniversityPress,2017.978-0823273966

Inaddition,allrequiredandrecommendedarticlesandchapterswillbemadeavailabletostudentsthroughthecoursewebsiteorothermeans.

ClassSchedule

BringprintedcopiesofreadingstoclassAlinktohelpyoudothereadings:PaulEdwards,HowtoReadaBook,http://pne.people.si.umich.edu/PDF/howtoread.pdf8Jan: ApologiaRecommended(aka,“whatistheprof’sdeal?”):JonathanSterne,“Hello.”TheAudiblePast:CulturalOriginsofSoundReproduction,1-30(notes:

353-360).Durham:DukeUniversityPress,2003.______,“FormatTheory.”MP3:TheMeaningofaFormat,1-30(notes247-258).Durham:Duke

UniversityPress,2012.______,“SonicImaginations.”TheSoundStudiesReader,1-17.London:Routledge,2012.Nowritingdue.15Jan: TheRecordingStudioLouiseMeintjes,SoundofAfrica:MakingMusicZuluinaSouthAfricanStudio.Durham:Duke

UniversityPress,2003.22Jan: TheListeningEarofPowerJenniferStoever,TheSonicColorLine:RaceandtheCulturalPoliticsofListening.NewYork:

NewYorkUniversityPress,2016.29Jan: EarlyModernity

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BonnieGordon,“WhatMr.JeffersonDidn’tHear.”InRethinkingDifferenceinMusicScholarship,editedbyOliviaBloechl,MelanieLowe,andJeffreyKallberg,108–32.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,2015.

BonnieGordon,“It’sNotAbouttheCut:TheCastrato’sInstrumentalizedSong.”NewLiteraryHistory46,no.4(autumn2015):647–87.

RichardCullenRath,“TheHowlingWilderness,”HowEarlyAmericaSounded,145-172(notes213-217).Ithaca:CornellUniversityPress,2003.

5Feb: Circulation1MichaelDenning,NoiseUprising:TheAudiopoliticsofaWorldMusicalRevolution.NewYork:

Verso,2015.12Feb: Circulation2AlejandraBronfman,IslesofNoise:SonicMediaintheCaribbean.ChapelHill:Universityof

NorthCarolinaPress,2016.19Feb: Surveillance,TwoWaysPeterSzendy,AllEars:AnAestheticsofEspionage,translatedbyRolandVégsö.NewYork:

FordhamUniversityPress,2017.StefanHelmreich,“Gravity’sReverb:ListeningtoSpace-Time,orArticulatingtheSoundsof

Gravitational-WaveDetection.”CulturalAnthropology31,no.4(2016):464–92.Also:Votefortechnologymenuweek.26Feb: FascismandItsFalloutCarolynBirdsall,Chapters1-3(31-139)ofNaziSoundscapes:Sound,TechnologyandUrban

SpaceinGermany,1933-1945.Amsterdam:AmsterdamUniversityPress,2012.Therestisrecommended.

LilianRadovac,“MutingDissent:NewYorkCity’sSoundDeviceOrdinanceandtheLiberalizationofthePublicSphere.”RadicalHistoryReview,no.121(January2015):32-50.

RolandWittje,“AcousticsGoesBacktoWar:MassMobilizationandRemilitarizationofAcousticsResearch.”TheAgeofElectroacoustics:TransformingScienceandSound,173-188(notes244-247).Cambridge:MITPress,2016.

BrycePeake,“ListeningLikeWhiteNationalistsataCivilRightsRally.”JournalofSonicStudies,no.14(2017).https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/375960/375961.

TechMenubookswillbeannounced.Orderyours.5March:ReadingWeek!Postpicturesofpalmtreestothecoursewebsite.

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12March:TiiiiiiiiimmmmmmmeeeeeeeeStrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeettttttttchchchchchchiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnggggggggggggDddddddddddddaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyAlexanderRehding,Beethoven’sSymphonyNo.9.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,2017.Plus:Profprojectshowandtell.19March:TechnologyMenuOptionsTBAThisweekgroupsofstudentswillpresentthebookstooneanother.Nowritingisduebut

everyonemustcontributetolessonprep.

26March: orWhatMakesforaGoodCritique?RobinJames,“PhilosophiesorPhonographies?:OnthePoliticalStakesofTheorizingAboutand

Through‘Music.’”PaperpresentedattheSocietyforPhenomenologyandExistentialPhilosophy(2017):http://www.its-her-factory.com/2017/10/spep-2017-talk-philosophies-or-phonographies-on-the-political-stakes-of-theorizing-about-and-through-music/

_____,“AffectiveResonance:OntheUsesandAbusesofMusicInandForPhilosophy.”PhaenEx7,no.2(December16,2012):59–95.

GavinSteingoandJimSykes,“Introduction:RemappingSoundStudiesintheGlobalSouth,”RemappingSoundStudies,eds.GavinSteingoandJimSykes.Durham:DukeUniversityPress,forthcoming2018.

PaulGilroy,“‘JewelsBroughtfromBondage’:BlackMusicandthePoliticsofAuthenticity,”TheBlackAtlantic:ModernityandDoubleConsciousness,72-110(notes235-239).Cambridge:HarvardUniversityPress,1995.

Also:revisittheaudiovisuallitanydiscussionfromtheintrotoAudiblePastorSoundStudiesReader.

2April:NOCLASS.Universityholiday.Takeanextradayoff.9April: Workinprogress:Masculinity,StandpointAcoustemologyandthePoliticsof

Geography(BrycePeake,specialgueststar)BrycePeake,MediaCitizens:StandpointAcoustemologyandtheMediaSciencesthatMade

GibraltarianMenBritish.Bookmanuscriptinprogress.Everyonemustcompletethewritingassignmentforthisweek.16April:Finalmeeting:studentprojects.

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Writingassignment:decidewhatyourfinalprojectwillbe.Writea500-750wordproposalCometoclassandwewilldiscussinsmallgroups.Wewillalsodiscusswhatwelearnedaboutsoundthisterm.CourseRequirementsandExpectationsEtiquette:1.Fullandcompleteattendance,attention,participation,listeningandreading(ofrequiredtexts).Iexpecttheverybestyoucangive.2.Goodfaithandgoodhumortowardyourcolleaguesintheclassroom.Forboth:disagreementsareexpectedandencouraged,butpleasekeepnitpickingtoaminimum;personalattacksandintimidationarenotacceptableunderanycircumstances.Ifyouhavesomethingcriticaltosay,bepreparedtoexplainhowthepiececouldbeimprovedgivenwhattheauthorhopedtoachieve.FollowtheGoldenRule.Encouragebasicquestionsaswellasadvancedones.Ifyoudon’tknowsomething,admitit.Youareprobablynotalone.Finally,wewanttoavoidseek-and-destroyhermeneutics.Therefore,studentsareallowedone(1)seek-and-destroyanalysisofareadingperterm,forwhenyoujustcan’tstandit.Butchoosewisely.Onceyou’veusedit,you’veusedit.3.Yourjobasaparticipantistolistenactivelytowhatothershavetosayandadvancethediscussion.Ifyouareconfidentcontributoruseyourconfidenceforgoodandnotevil.Helpbringothersintodiscussion,refertoyourclassmatesbyname,andbepositiveaboutthecontributionsofthosewhodonotsayasmuch.4.Whilepersonalanecdotesareallowed,keepinmindthisisaPhDseminar.Othersmaydisagreewithyourinterpretationofyourexperience.Thisisencouragedandallowed.Ifyouarenotcomfortablewiththis,donotshareyourstory.5.Awkwardsilencesandhesitationareokay.Don’tfeelyouneedtorushtospeakanddon’tworryifyouneedalittletimetoarticulatesomething.Contributingtoclassdiscussionismorethanthefrequencyofthetimesyourhandgoesupandthenumberofwordsyousay.Ifyouarestrugglingtoarticulatesomething,that’sprobablyasignthatyouaresayingsomethingthatisnewandnotobvious.6.Difficultcontent:There’sbeenalotoftalkinthepressaboutcontentwarningsandstudentcomfortintheclassroom.Asyourprof,Iwillneverdoanythingintentionallytoshockortraumatizestudents.Atthesametime,it’sourjobtodiscussdifficultsubjectsinclass,andnobodycanpredicttheeffectsomematerialsmayhaveonsomeone.Iwilltryandgivepreviewsofthekindsofcontentyouwillencounterbeforeyouencounterit.IfIforget,feelfreetoask.Ifyouarehavingdifficultydealingwithaclassdiscussionorareadingorrecording,youmayraisetheissueaspartofthediscussion(keepinginmind#4above),oryoumaysimply

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discretelystepoutofclass.Anotetotheprofwouldbehelpfulafterthefactsothatweknowwhathappenedanddon’tthinkyoujustgotupandleft. TechnologyPolicy Thiscoursewillencouragethethoughtfuluseofscholarlytechnologiessuchastalkingandreading,computersandtheinternet,penandpaper,projectionandchalkboards,etc.Forour“talkingaboutideas”components,youwilluseawritingutensilandpaper(unlessyoubringmeanotefromtheOfficeforStudentsWithDisabilities).Theclassroomwillnotbeanenvironmentof“ambientcomputing.”Ifyouneedtoopenacomputer(oranydevicewithascreen,microprocessorandinternetconnection)tolookstuffup,youwilldothatandthenclosethedevice. Ifwehavegroupactivities,computingdevicesmaybeinvolved,dependingontheactivity.Wewilldiscussthistechnologypolicyonthefirstdayofclass. Product(and%ofsemestergrade):I. Participation(20%,assessedcumulatively)Iexpecteveryonetoparticipateregularlyinclass.Youshouldcomeeveryweekreadytodiscussthereadings.Inotice(andappreciateit)whenstudentsmakegoodcontributionstothecourseonlineorinotherwaysbesidesspeakingupinclass.PleasenotethatIdistinguishbetweenquantityandquality.Ialsonoticewhenstudentsareroutinelylateand/orabsent.Requirementsforclassdiscussionareasfollows:goodfaith,attentiontothereadings,andrelevancetothecourse.Wewanttoavoid“seekanddestroy”sessions.Ifyouhavesomethingcriticaltosay,bereadytoexplainhowthepiececouldbeimproved.Ifyoudisagreewiththepremiseofthepiece,thenreadforwhatmotivatestheargument.Ifnecessary,Iwillkeepaspeakerslistandcallonpeople.II. Weeklyexercises(20%,dueweekly)Mostweeks,studentswillbeaskedtowriteaboutsoundinaparticularway.Yourproductwillbea500-800wordpaperpostedonthecoursewebsite.Oneormoreexamplesofprimarysourceswillbeprovidedmostweeks,butstudentsmaychooseothersourcesastheylikesolongastheyfulfilthespiritoftheassignment.Ifyou’reunsure,checkwithme.Eachassignmentisdesignedtohelpyoua)developasawriterandb)developyourskillsforthinkingandwritingaboutsoundintandem.SinceclassmeetsonMondaythisterm,responsesshouldbepostedontheMyCoursessiteby5pmtheFridaybeforeclass,howeveryouhaveanautomaticextensionuntil5pmSundaybeforeclassshouldyouneedit.Itisphrasedthisway

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becauseIwanttoallowforthepossibilitythatyoumighttaketimeoffduringtheweekend,butIwon’tneedtheresponsesbeforeSundayevening.Iexpectthatthewritingexerciseswillbetakenseriouslyontheirowntermsandfollowedthroughtothebestofyourability.Studentsoftenfeelliketheyneedtodevelopadistinctivewritingstyle,“schtick,”setofpreferredmethodsoraproaches,ortheoreticalpositionstheyneedtodefend.Idonotwantyoutowriteas“yourself”;Iwantyoutowritelikeamusicianmightlearnsomeoneelse’smusicasaformofpractice.Thiswillbeexplainedmorefullyonthefirstdayofclass.Inclass,studentsmaybeaskedtoreadtheirexercisealoudasaspringboardtodiscussion.Ifyouareparticularlyuncomfortablereadingaloudinaparticularweek,youmaysaysoinaprivateemailtomebeforehand(butnoteveryweek).Ifyoujustcan’tstandtheideaofreadingyourworkaloudinclass,youcanalsoasksomeoneelsetoreaditaloudforyou.Orwecanpassitaroundandhavedifferentpeoplereaditaloud.Escapehatches:mostweeksyouareexpectedtodowhatyouareasked(thereisalotofroomforinterpretation).Withexceptionsnotedabove,youmay(1)skipwritingoneweek(aweekoff!Oryoucangetsick),and(2)youmaycreateandexecuteanalternativeassignmentoneweeksolongasitisinthespiritofthecourse,andotherwisematchesthespiritoftheassignment(e.g.,notadvancingyour“schtick”).Myadvice:getthehangoftheassignments,thendo#2whenyouareparticularlyinspired.III. PortfolioandExtension(60%,due23April)Attheendoftheterm,youwillhaveaportfolioofmaterialsyouhaveproduced.Yourfinalassignmenthastwoparts.Thesetwodocumentsarebothdueon23Aprilat5pm,onMyCourses.PleasenotethatIplantobetravelingbetween18Apriland1May,soifyouwanttomeetwithmeaboutyourproject,pleasedosobeforethe18th.PartI:Ashortreflectionpaper(approximately1000-1300wordsbutI’mnotactuallycounting)thatdiscussesthevariouswritingassignments.Questionsyoucouldaddressinclude:Whatwouldyouliketoworkonasawriterinthefuture?Whatdidyoudiscoverintheprocessofasingleweekoroverthecourseoftheterm?Whatdoyouseeasyoureadacrosstheworkfromsomedistance?Whatdidyoulearnaboutsound?Whatdidyoulearnaboutbeingascholar?PartII:cantakeoneofthreeforms.

1. Extendoneofyourshortpapersintoanapproximately2500-3000wordpaper(7-8ppdoublespaced“spoken”textplusnotes/bib);roughlythelengthofa15-20minuteconferencetalk.Buildinmorematerialfromthecourse,morethinking,moresecondarymaterial.Youarealsowelcometoputitinyourvoiceandconnectittoyourschtick.

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2. Youcan’tstopwriting!Sameas#1exceptitcanbethefull20pagedouble-spacedseminarpaper.ThisoptionexistsbecauseIalwayswritedoubletheamountofproseItrytowrite.Soyoucantoo,ifthat’syourparticularproblem.

3. Proposeanalternative.Thisneedstobewithinthespiritofthecourse,soIambiasedtowardanacademicwritingassignmentbecausethewholecourseisgearedtowardhelpingyouimproveasawriter.Iwillentertainresearch-creation,digitalhumanitiesandcuratorialproposalsiftheyaresmall-scale,didacticandgoal-oriented(asopposedto“exploratory”)andmeetthesamegoals#1or#2above,whichistoproduceapieceofscholarlywritingthatyoucanthenusesomewheredowntheroadasaspringboardforsomething.Ifyouwanttogothroughwiththisoption,a750-1250wordproposalisduetomeon23Marchat5pm(we’llfigureoutwhattodoforthelastclassifyougothisroute).Itshouldclearlyexplainwhatyouplantodo,howandwhyyoucanaccomplishitbytheduedate,andhowitfulfillsthespiritoftheassignment.PleasenotethatIwon’tgiveincompletesforoverambitiousprojects,eventhoughIloveoverambitiousprojects.

OtherPoliciesFrench:YouhavetherighttosubmityourwrittenworkinFrenchandsomeyearsoneormorestudentsinmyseminarschoosetodoso.IfyouplantowriteinFrench,pleasegetintouchwithmeduringadd-dropsowecantalkabouthowtohandleit,asIamnotparticularlygoodatFrench.Normallyit’snotaproblembutweshoulddiscusshowitwillwork.ClassdiscussionsareinEnglish,butyouareencouragedtoresorttoFrenchifyoucan’tfindtherightwordinEnglishandwe’llfigureitouttogether.YouarealsowelcometoreadcoursematerialsinFrench(wheretheyareavailableinFrench).Discussionsoflinguisticandtranslationdifferencesareawelcomepartoftheseminar.Accommodation:Ifyourequirespecialaccommodationsorclassroommodificationsofanykind,pleasenotifyboththeprofessorandOfficeforStudentswithDisabilitiesbytheendofthefirstweekinwhichyouareenrolledinthecourse.TheyarelocatedinRoomRS56,RedpathLibrary,398-6009(voice),398-8198(TDD),[http://www.mcgill.ca/osd/].Nondiscrimination:IfthereissomethingIcandotomaketheclassmorehospitable,pleaseletmeknow.Ivalueequalityofopportunity,andhumandignityanddiversity.InaccordancewithUniversitypolicy,Iwillnottoleratediscriminationorharassmentonthebasisofrace,color,ethnicornationalorigin,civilstatus,religion,creed,politicalconvictions,language,sex,sexualorientation,socialcondition,age,personaldifferenceortheuseofassistivetechnologyinnegotiatingthatdifference.Amongotherthings,thismeansthatyoudonothavetoagreewithyourteacher,theassignedreadings,orthemajorityofyourclassmatesinordertodowellinthiscourse.Youare,however,obligatedtodemonstrateanunderstandingofthecoursematerialwhetherornotyouagreewithit.

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Auditors:Iwouldlikeauditorstoparticipateintheweeklywritingexercisesfortheweekstheywillattend,sothateveryoneintheroomisonequalfooting.IfIgrantyoupermissiontoaudit,youareboundbythesameettiquetterulesastheenrolledstudents.Therewillbeexeptionstothispolicyfordayswhenwehaveoutoftownvisitors.HowtoInterpretMcGill’sInflatedGraduate-LevelGrades:A: GoodworkA-: SatisfactoryB+: ThereisaproblemwithwhatyousubmittedB: ThereisasubstantialproblemwithwhatyousubmittedB-: Lowestpossiblepassinggradeinagraduatecourse;indicatesamajorproblem

butnotafailureC+orlower: Officiallyconsidereda“fail”bytheGraduateStudiesOffice.Inrarecases,ifyourperformanceonanyassignmentisnotsatisfactory,Imayaskyoutodoitagain.Youmustcompleteallthemajorassignmentstopassthecourse.Lateassignmentsmaynotreceivewrittencommentsandwillearnareducedgrade(oneincrementoflettergradeforthefirsttwodays,thenanincrementperday,includingweekends).Lateweeklypaperswillnotbeusefulforclassandwillreceiveadiminishedgradeimmediately.ItisyourresponsibilitytomakesureIreceiveanyassignmentyouturnin.Activitiesforwhichyoumustbepresentcannotbemadeup.Itisalsoyourresponsibilitytoproperlybackupyourwork:keepmorethanonedigitalcopyofyourwork.Inthecaseofwriting,keepapapercopyaswell.Irecommendsyncingyourimportantdocumentstoacloudstorageservice.TheKcontract:AtMcGill,gradesofincompletearecalled“K”gradesandtheyareonlysupposedtobeassignedafterthestudentandprofessorhaveagreeduponacontract.Idonotgiveincompletes(“K”grades)exceptintrulyextraordinarypersonalcircumstancesthatcanbedocumented.Kgradesrevertto“F”gradesattheendofthenexttermunlessacontractextensionissignedbybothprofessorandstudent.Extensionsalsowillnotbegrantedexceptintrulyextraordinarycircumstances.ThePassive-AggressiveK:Shouldastudentfailtocompletetherequirementsforthecourseandfailtocontactmewellbeforemydeadlineforsubmissionofgrades,IwillissueaKgradewithoutacontract.Graduatestudies,however,stillexpectsacontracttobefiledanditwillbethestudent’sresponsibilitytomakesureoneissubmitted.Inthesecircumstances,shouldthepaperbecompletedatalaterdate,itwillreceiveamark.However,studentswhoreceivea“K”inthisfashionwillnotbeeligibletoreceivean“A”or“A-”forthecourse.IwillnotsignanextensionforaKgradethatwasgrantedwithoutacontract,andnolatepaperwillbegraded

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withoutaKcontractbeinginplacebeforehand.Ialsocannotpromisecommentsonapapersubmittedafterapassive-aggressiveK.RequiredAcademicIntegrityStatement:McGillUniversityvaluesacademicintegrity.Therefore,allstudentsmustunderstandthemeaningandconsequencesofcheating,plagiarismandotheracademicoffencesundertheCodeofStudentConductandDisciplinaryProcedures(seewww.mcgill.ca/integrityformoreinformation).SpecialRequiredEmergencySyllabus-EraserClause:IntheeventofextraordinarycircumstancesbeyondtheUniversity’scontrol,thecontentand/orevaluationschemeinthiscourseissubjecttochange.Meta: