Music's Big Bang: The Genesis of Rock 'n' Roll (Coursera)

Offered by University of Florida,
Music's Big Bang: The Genesis of Rock 'n' Roll (Coursera)

Explores the factors — musical and cultural — that led to the birth of American rock 'n' roll music in the early 1950s. Covers in detail the genres, styles and people that converged to create this new music.

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Syllabus:

WEEK 1
Four basic themes of our course
Some basic tenets of rock 'n' roll

WEEK 2
In the beginning: American popular music
There were many, many genres, styles and sub styles of American pop

WEEK 3
The blues: Mississippi Ghosts 1
The Mississippi Delta, an area surrounding the Mississippi River, becomes the cradle of the blues

WEEK 4
The blues: Mississippi Ghosts 2
The legend of Robert Johnson and his visit to "the crossroads"

WEEK 5
A tale of three cities: New Orleans
New Orleans is the city of jazz

WEEK 6
A tale of three cities: Chicago
Chicago is where the blues went electric

WEEK 7
A tale of three cities: Memphis
The delivery room of rock 'n' roll

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