Imaginary Syllabi: Major in Techno
[imaginary-syllabi
teaching
music
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Premise: An interdisciplinary four-year undergraduate degree in electronic dance music practice and culture. A US undergraduate major is typically 10-12 courses, so degree requirements include…
(naturally we will teach this at Cal Tech-no…)
Music
- Survery of the History of Electronic Music
- Music Theory I
- EDM Production (practical lab)
- DJ-ing (practical lab)
- Electives in various subdisciplines, as guided by faculty
- Elective analog synthesis
Math course
- Two-semesters, based on the Musimathics books
- Cool Math for Hot Music (2016) also seems interesting, if you like an extra dose of category theory.
Physics/Electrical Engineering
- Physics of sound (physiology and instrument modeling)
- Electronics (a practical introduction, building circuits and audio systems)
Computer Programming
- Intro to programming (in Supercolider? or something else): with applications to sound generation
History / Social Science
- Communities of practice in Berlin, Detroit and their sociohistorical setting, with an emphasis on race and economics as forces behind music development
- Queer histories in EDM (“From Wendy Carlos to Berghain”)
Video
- Intro to generative visual methods (practical lab)
Business
- Advertising/Marketing (with activities including graphic design of flyers, business modeling, online search engine optimization/advertising, viral marketing)
- Accounting (for Hospitality businesses; basics of inventory management, payroll)
- Management (crowds, staff, talent)
Pharmacology/Chemistry
- The chemistry of psychoactive drugs
Study Abroad / Spring Break trips
- Year 3: Detroit—Detroit Electronic Music Festival (memorial day weekend) and visit to Exhibit3000 museum
- Year 4: Berlin