Each instantiation of Reading Culture: Theory & Practice reflects the interests and expertise of its instructor, and as such this course will explore sonic culture, focusing on a series of cultural practices rooted in sound. There is a truism that so-called Western culture has overemphasized the visual at the expense of the sonic. Indeed, much of our terminology privileges visual metaphors; from the flickering shadows in Plato’s allegory of the cave to the Age of Enlightenment, one can “see” the truth, the facts are “clear.” And yet sound, too, is ever-present, from metaphors of social harmony to “hearing a calling.” Most cultures have tended to privilege music and the voice as exemplars of sonic culture, but recent decades have seen increasing scholarly attention paid to sound more broadly, from sonic aspects of product design to the encroachment of noise pollution in daily life.

The field of Sound Studies emerged in the early 21st century, drawing together an interdisciplinary body of work that takes “sound” as its object of study. We will learn to theorize various sonic cultural practices by reading a number of canonical texts in the field, augmented by newer essays in criticism, cultural studies, and related fields. We begin by considering various modes of listening, taking into account questions of ethical orientation and subject position, proceeding through five units: Soundscapes, Media, Mobility, Community, and Music. The concept of the soundscape helps to frame modes of listening that encompass both natural and technological sounds, without necessarily privileging music or voice in its analysis. The development of sound recording technologies in the 19th century radically transformed how we think about and relate to sound. Phonography, or “sound writing,” was a fundamental departure, as sound had previously always been ephemeral events that left no material trace. 20th century mobile sound technologies (including the car stereo, the boombox, the Walkman, and the mobile phone) further altered sonic cultural practices, increasing the circulation of voices and music while creating whole new categories of sound design. Yet sounds that some find pleasing may be perceived as noise by another. Our experience of sound plays important roles in delineating feelings of belonging to (or exclusion from) a community.

Each week’s readings are meant to form a pair. I’ve tried to err on the side of shorter readings, to allow for more close reading and dialogue in class. Due to the nature of Zoom courses, in recent years we have tended to spend more time staring at screens than ever before. I aim to intentionally downplay the visual while emphasizing the sonic in our class meetings. Where possible, I’ve included audio versions of readings, and will assign a number of audio assignments throughout the term. Thursdays will include in-class listening exercises, and I encourage you to choose audio formats for your final group projects.