Course content

Music defines our experience of who we are, but also where we are, where we come from and where we are going. In music we invest meanings into the landscapes and places important to us. Music shapes our perceptions of places, and can in some cases completely define a place in the cultural consciousness (from Nashville to Ibiza). In other words, music is an important component of the cultural world maps we navigate by.

This course offers specialized knowledge in music geography: the many connections between music, place, landscape, belonging, mobility and globalization. We will remain focused on the Nordic region, and the course will feature the course instructor's own research on Iceland as a central case study. Globally circulating perceptions of Iceland are shaped by music. The nation is associated with influential artists and bands like Björk and Sigur Rós, as well as composers like Anna Þorvaldsdóttir and Hildur Guðnadóttir, who have put Iceland on the map and sparked discussions on music, geography, and national identity. In Iceland, music has played a central role in interior nation building as well as external marketing of the nation in global markets of culture and tourism. During the course, our studies of Icelandic music will make up one of several illustrations of the larger topics of music and geography on the edge of Europe.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

Students who complete the course successfully will have:

• Gained knowledge of music’s ability to shape our perceptions of places, landscapes, and national identities
• Learned how music is made in, while reflecting and commenting upon, specific places and landscapes.
• Learned about a range of musicians, bands, and composers who have impacted understandings of Icelandic and Nordic identities.
• Deepened their understanding of the relationship between music and society in Iceland.
• Learned about cultural and aesthetic assumptions that impact the reception of Icelandic music internationally.
• Attained specialized understanding of music’s role in cultural negotiations of national identity.

Skills

Students who complete the course will have:

• The ability to explain and discuss cultural aspects of contemporary Nordic societies.
• Practiced formulating and presenting their knowledge of music, landscape, and national identity in written and oral form.
• Strengthened their cross-disciplinary skills by connecting knowledge of Icelandic music to broader issues of identity, nationality, globalization, and geography.
• Developed their skills in critical listening and analysis of music in a range of genres.

Learning methods and activities

The classes will consist of seminars with an emphasis on dialogue and discussion. Weekly preparation, in the form and reading and listening tasks, is therefore mandatory.

Attendance is mandatory and requires a minimum of 80% attendance.

The teaching can be given in English, if international students take the course.

Compulsory assignments

• Satisfactory participation in seminar activities, including oral presentations

Specific conditions