This course explores the history of music in the United States through the prism of the nation ' s most persistent cultural issue, race relations. From the earliest transatlantic contacts to the present day, the act of music-making is viewed as a complex response to both the inherited traditions of Europe and Africa and a changing environment. Topics include spirituals, gospel, and Protestantism; minstrelsy and the entertainment industry; nationalism and the symphony; experimental music of the 20th century; and vernacular genres such as folksong and the blues. Only one of A MUS 214, T MUS 214 or A MUS 334 may be taken for credit.