“ paper resources ” tab W r i t i n g

This paper is a research paper (1200-1400 words) that engages one of five social or cultural concepts discussed in this course and examines it in relation to any popular music or musical scene of your choosing. The five main concepts of our course are: (1) cycles of cultural production, (2) recording technology and listening practices, (3) cultural appropriation, (4) subculture, and (5) intersectional identity politics. The overall objective of this research paper is to deepen your knowledge of popular music and your ability to critically analyze popular music.

This is an opportunity for you to take a critical look at the latest artists, recent album releases, or musical genres and scenes that excite you! One way of organizing your topic is to link a type of music to a specific group of people and highlight a prevalent concept. For example, I could begin research with the following: mumble rap + Lil Wayne + cultural production. Another example could be: Protestant/religious popular song + immigrant females + intersectional identity (gender and religion). These types of combinations would give you several leads to pursue in the research literature.

Your paper must have a focused research statement (called a “thesis” or an “argument”). Your paper should contain cultural, musical, and historical details. Your paper should also contain cogent, thoughtful analysis. If you choose to write about music or musicians that are covered specifically in the lectures, readings, or sections, you must be sure to go beyond the details presented in the course. You will be marked down if you only use material presented in this course.

This paper places a heavy emphasis on secondary/library sources. You should plan on working through online academic journals and books to uncover the existing literature on your topic. You are welcome to reference as many sources as you wish; however, you will be required to reference at least three academic sources and two non-academic or journalistic publications. None of these five required sources can be from the classroom readings. As a research paper, your analysis will include in-text citations and a “References Cited/Bibliography” section.

Use the P2 Pre-Writing Tasks in Eli Review to help you prepare for writing a full-length analytical paper. Write your research statement for the P2 writing task by following the directions in Eli Review (posted in week 8). You are required to reference at least two academic sources for this step in Eli Review. The sources should highlight how you will nuance and analyze your social concept. The writing task is due by midnight on Nov 18th (Thurs) and the review task by midnight on Nov 23rd (Tues) – just like we did with P1. These tasks are worth 5% of your final course grade.

The UCSB Library, Music Library, and online databases are primary places to find both academic and popular sources. As always, include in-text citations for quotes or ideas that are not yours; and list these references within a “References Cited/Bibliography” section at the end of the paper. Format these parts with the resources that we have provided for you on GauchoSpace in the “Paper Resources” tab. Also, look in this tab for helpful online research databases.

Make sure to give your essay a sensible title, keep your writing focused, support yourself with examples, and communicate your ideas clearly and effectively. Writing essentials like spelling, grammar, organization and style are of utmost importance.