3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

What does politics sound like? Can sounds (sound waves, musical compositions, nonhuman voices, vocal timbres, …) carry or even create political meaning? Listening to such questions, this course explores the role of sonic and musical figures in the political theory canon, the influence of sound on political events, as well as the involvement of the sensing human body and a more-than-human environment in public affairs. To do that, the course (1) introduces the soundscape as a methodological framework for describing politics as an aesthetic experience; (2) addresses sonic ways to conceptualize political matters, such as nationhood, civic resistance, speech, power, identity and warfare; and (3) uses sound to reimagine democratic and ecologically sustainable forms of living‐together. The course combines readings in political theory with texts in cultural, sound and media studies. Multimedia resources (popular and classical music pieces, films, sound recordings, …) accompany the theoretical discussions and relate them to contemporary events. Assignments include short presentations, a soundwalk report, and a final paper.