PRELIMINARY COURSE SYLLABUS
Course Title: Bob Dylan at 80: A Deep Dive into Eight Classic Albums Course Code: MUS 47 Instructor: Timothy Hampton
Note About Live Attendance and Recording:
Live attendance is encouraged. The instructor will present the material, illustrating points with samples of sound and, where needed, images. Each class meeting will be accompanied by an outline of topics covered, prepared by the instructor. The syllabus will offer a general template, but we will feel free to roam about, as the discussion evolves.
At the same time, classes will be recorded and made available for enrolled students to watch or re- watch what they have missed live. In addition, the instructor will hold office hours and group Zoom meetings for students who want to talk more about the material outside of class.
Grade Options and Requirements: • No Grade Requested (NGR) o This is the default option. No work will be required; no credit shall be received; no proof of attendance can be provided. • Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) o Students must attend 6 out of 8 class sessions.
*Please Note: If you require proof that you completed a Continuing Studies course for any reason (for example, employer reimbursement), you must choose either the Letter Grade or Credit/No Credit option. Courses taken for NGR will not appear on official transcripts or grade reports.
Tentative Weekly Outline:
Week 1: Introduction. "Who is this guy?" Dylan's very earliest work and his rise to celebrity. His self-invention as troubadour/poet. Deep listen: "Freewheelin' Bob Dylan."
Week 2: The expansion of Dylan's consciousness--and ours. The mid-1960s "electric" work. What are "electric blues" anyway? Deep listen: "Highway 61 Revisited."
Week 3: The art of retirement. Dylan's late 1960s "country" period and his collaborations with The Band. Deep listen: "John Wesley Harding."
Week 4: "I had to do consciously what I had been doing unconsciously until then." Some thoughts about Dylan's manipulation of song forms. Deep listen: "Blood on the Tracks" (that's right, go and listen to the whole thing again).
Please contact the Stanford Continuing Studies office with any questions 365 Lasuen St., Stanford, CA 94305 [email protected] 650-725-2650
PRELIMINARY COURSE SYLLABUS
Week 5: "Sometimes I feel so low down and disgusted." The cultural politics of the "gospel" period. Deep listen: "Infidels."
Week 6: Some thoughts about voice and performance style. Deep listen, "Time Out of Mind."
Week 7: Dylan's geography. Where do these songs take place? Deep listen, "Modern Times"
Week 8: History and spirit. Dylan teaches us how to make art: Deep listen, "Rough and Rowdy Ways"
Please contact the Stanford Continuing Studies office with any questions 365 Lasuen St., Stanford, CA 94305 [email protected] 650-725-2650