MUS368U Motown: Detroit’s History and Music Portland State University

MUS 368U Dr. Edward Higgins Term: Spring 2018 Email: [email protected] Office: LH 213C

CATALOG DESCRIPTION This course examines the music of the Motown Record Corporation and its place in the historical narrative surrounding American popular music, culture, and identity. Students will identify the music of Motown, its place in the broader context of American history, and its relationship with Detroit, the city of its origin.

DETAILS Motown combined elements of jazz, gospel, and rhythm and blues into a genre of popular music that is considered the first true crossover genre, as it related universally to multiracial audiences. The Motown Sound and its political implications were part of a much larger conversation about the relationship of non-white art and struggle during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960sa, and this course will address Motown’s influence on that conversation. In addition, this course will examine Motown’s creative and business processes and how they compared to the assembly-line manufacturing processes that are utilized by Detroit’s automotive industry.

LEARNING OUTCOMES Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to identify specific musical features and compositions unique to Motown, discuss the music of Motown in broader context with the history of American popular music, discuss how business practices relate to artistic enterprises, assess the relationship between popular music and culture, and discuss how social and cultural events influence and may be influenced by popular music.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

 Students will develop an understanding of Motown’s place in the historical narrative of American popular music and culture.  Students will develop an understanding of Motown’s effect on cultural identities within various communities in Detroit and the rest of America.  Students will interpret the relationships between Detroit’s automotive industries and The Motown Record Company’s business practices.

REQUIRED MATERIALS

Martelle, S. (2012). Detroit: A biography. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review Press. ISBN: 978-1-56976-526-5

Pinkney, A. D. (2015). Rhythm ride: A road trip through the Motown sound. New York, NY: Roaring Book Press. ISBN: 978-1-59643-973-3

Boyce, A. K. (2008). What’s going on: Motown and the Civil Rights Movement. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Boston College, Boston, MA. Persistent link: http://hdl.handle.net/2345/590

GRADES

You will have 10 quizzes, each due Fridays before 11:59 pm. Late work will not be accepted. No exceptions. Your lowest Quiz score will be dropped and the remaining will be combined to calculate an average score. Each quiz will be 20 questions, except week 10 which will be worth 40 points, and the material will come directly from the texts. Each quiz has a time limit of 20 minutes.

Mus 368U

Quizzes (10) (Total of 200 points)

Discussions: (10) (Total of 100 points)

Essays (3) (Total of 300 points)

Total points = 600

ASSIGNMENT AND FINAL PROJECT GRADING RUBRIC

Assignment Requirements 1. Does the essay fully address the prompt? 2. Does the essay follow the appropriate style guidelines? 3. Is the assignment the appropriate length? Organization 1. Are the basic sections (introduction, body, conclusion) adequate? 2. Is the material ordered in a way that is logical, clear, and easy to follow? 3. Are paragraphs and sentences cohesive? Grammar 1. Are there any errors in grammar or spelling? Content 1. Does the essay adequately discuss the topic at hand? 2. Does the essay show thought and convey some depth?

Schedule

Week 1 Read: Anika Boyce Keys, “What’s Going On” Pg. 3 – 13 (Introduction) Read: Scott Martelle, “Detroit” (Preface) Discussion: Briefly describe your background and reasons for taking this particular course. Listening List: #’s 1-5 Quiz 1

Week 2 Read: Andrea Davis Pinkney, “Rhythm Ride” Pg. 1 – 22 Read: Scott Martelle, “Detroit” (The 1943 Riot) Pg. 147 – 158 Discussion: Briefly discuss the underlying causes of the 1943 riot Listening List: #’s 6-10 Quiz 2

Week 3 Read: Anika Boyce Keys, “What’s Going ON” (The Sound of Young America) Pg. 29 - 46 Read: Scott Martelle, “Detroit” (Post War Boom) Pg. 159 – 170 Discussion: Post war United States culture seemed to be more influenced by popular music than in generations prior to WWII. Briefly discuss some of the reasons for this. Listening List #’s 11-15 Quiz 3 Essay #1

Week 4 Read: Anika Boyce Keys, “What’s Going ON” “Achieving Cross Over Through Civil Rights Principals” Pg. 47 - 63 Read: Andrea Davis Pinkney, “Rhythm Ride” Pg. 23 - 32 Discussion: Briefly discuss the principles of Booker T. Washington. Listening List: #’s 16-20 Quiz 4

Week 5 Read: Andrea Davis Pinkney, “Rhythm Ride” Pg. 33 - 41 Read: Scott Martelle, “Detroit” (Race in the 50’s) Pg. 171 – 180 Discussion: From Barry Gordy’s point of view, discuss the significance of “telling a story.” Listening List: #’s 21-25 Quiz 5

Week 6

Read: Andrea Davis Pinkney, “Rhythm Ride” Pg. 43 – 54 Read: Scott Martelle, “Detroit” (Race in the 50’s) Pg. 181 – 186 Discussion: Finishing school was deemed important at “Hitsville USA.” Discuss its significance and whether or not such principles are as important in today’s society. Listening List: #’s 26-30 Quiz 6

Week 7 Read: Andrea Davis Pinkney, “Rhythm Ride” Pg. 49 - 64 Video: “Standing in the Shadows of Motown,” held on reserve in the PSU Library. Discussion: Discuss what professional life was like for a typical freelance musician. Quiz 7 Essay #2

Week 8 Read: Andrea Davis Pinkney, “Rhythm Ride” Pg. 65 - 85 Discussion: Marvin Gaye’s hit, “What’s going On,” was a protest song, which was a new concept for Motown. Discuss its significance in the music business, Detroit, and society in general. Listening List: #’s 31-34 Quiz 8

Week 9 Read: Anika Boyce Keys, “What’s Going On” “Race, Motown and Music” Pg. 64 - 78 Read: Andrea Davis Pinkney, “Rhythm Ride” Pg. 87 -112 Discussion: Some argue that Motown did not do enough to assist in the Civil Rights movement. Do you agree? Listening List #’s 35-38 Quiz 9

Week 10 Read: Anika Boyce Keys, “What’s Going On” Conclusion Pg. 79 - 83 Read: Scott Martelle, “Detroit” (Race in the 50’s) Pg. 181 – 204 Listening List: #’s 39-41 Quiz 10 Final Essay

ESSAY #1 Write a 500-word essay discussing the ways in which post-WWII America paved the way for the rise of Motown.

ESSAY #2 Write a 500-word essay discussing Motown’s relationship with the Civil Rights movement.

FINAL ESSAY Write a 1000-word essay discussing Motown’s relationship with the automotive industry, cultural identity, and American popular music.

Course Format

This course will feature activities that include:  Reading from the text  Listening  Screening video  Participating in a discussion  Taking a quiz

Forms, surveys, and other miscellaneous activities may also be included. It is important to complete each week's activities on time. Late work will not be accepted.

Discussions: Every individual discussion is worth 10 possible points. Each time a discussion opens, students must post at least once by Sunday of the week it appears, unless otherwise stated by the instructor. The purpose of these discussions is to create a dialog among students. Therefore, once you have created a thread, please post at least two responses to other posts.

As the discussions potentially involve a fair amount of opinion, and with the understanding that students come to this class with different levels of experience with the subject, students have a lot of leeway as to the content of their discussion posts. However, work hard to make your comments substantive—meaning containing real substance. It is generally okay to duplicate others' subject matter in a large class, but here, do try to find a unique perspective to discuss. In your comments, please avoid a "me too" kind of post. Give it some thought and respond with something to add to the thread. It's recommended that you try to post mid-week or earlier to give others the opportunity to respond. It goes without saying that ALL posts in the discussion group need to be polite. Please avoid any statements that might be interpreted as being judgmental of others' tastes in music, politics, religion and so forth. As you may know, printed text can be easily misinterpreted.

Quizzes: You will have 20 minutes to complete each quiz. The quizzes consist of multiple choice and true/false questions, and may include listening questions. Quizzes are due for completion at the end of each week.

How to Contact Your Instructor: The best way to reach me during the term is through D2L mail, the message service contained in the D2L site. To do this, an easy way is to click the People menu from the menu strip above, then select Class list. Scroll down the list until you find my name (Dr. Edward Higgins). When you click it, a new e-mail message will open with my D2L address already filled in. Type your message and click on Send. You can check your D2L mail by clicking on the envelope icon at the top of the window.

How to Submit Assignments: The main deliverables for this class are quizzes and discussions. Both are graded online, and nothing further is needed. Do not email them to me. Other assignments/projects should be submitted to the proper Dropbox. Quizzes, discussions and Dropbox can be found under the Activities menu.

DRC Accommodation: Accommodations are collaborative efforts between students, faculty, and the Disability Resource Center. Students with accommodations approved through the DRC are responsible for contacting the faculty member in charge of the course prior to or during the first week of the term to discuss accommodations. Students who believe they are eligible for accommodations but who have not yet obtained approval through the DRC should contact the DRC immediately.

REQUIRED Listening

Students are individually responsible for accessing all musical examples that will be studied in this course. The songs are listed in the order they appear in the course outline and may be downloaded on such commercial sites as iTunes and Amazon, or they may be accessed on You Tube. It is not necessary to purchase these songs, but it is imperative that students listen repeatedly to each musical selection.

MUSIC OF MOTOWN LISTENING LIST All selections are available on Youtube – URL links can be found in D2L

1. The Satintones, “Motor City” (1959) 2. The Swinging Tigers, “Snake Walk (Parts 1 & 2)” (1959) 3. Barrett Stong, “Money” (That’s What I Want)” (1959) 4. Marv Johnson, “Come to Me” (1959) 5. Eddie Holland, “Jamie” (1961) 6. The Marvelettes, “Please Mr. Postman” (1961) 7. The Miracles, “Shop Around” (1960) 8. The Miracles, “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” (1962) 9. Mary Wells, “My Guy” (1964) 10. The Contours, “Do You Love Me” (1962) 11. Junior Walker and the All Stars, “Shotgun” (1965) 12. The Mynah Birds, “It’s My Time” (1966) 13. Martha and the Vandellas, “Dancing in the Street” (1964) 14. The Temptations, “The Way you do your Things you Do” (1964) 15. Little Stevie Wonder, “Fingertips (Part 2)” (1963) 16. The Temptations, “My Girl” (1964) 17. The Supremes, “Where Did our Love Go” (1964) 18. The Supremes, “Stop! In the Name of Love” (1965) 19. The Four Tops, “I Can’t Help Myself” (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) (1965) 20. The Four Tops, “Standing in the Shadows of Love” (1965) 21. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, “Ain’t no Mountain High Enough” (1967) 22. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell,“You’re all I need to Get By ” (1968) 23. Gladys Knight and the Pips, “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” (1968) 24. Marvin Gaye, “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” (1968) 25. Jackson Five, “I want you Back” (1969) 26. Jackson Five, “ABC” (1970) 27. The Temptations “Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World is Today” (1970) 28. The Temptations “Cloud Nine” (1968) 29. The Undisputed Truth, “Smiling Faces Sometimes” (1971) 30. The Temptations, “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” (1972) 31. Diana Ross and the Supremes, “Love Child” (1968) 32. Edwin Starr, “War” (1970) 33. Marvin Gaye, “What’s going On” (1971) 34. Marvin Gaye, “Mercy Mercy Me” (1971) 35. Marvin Gaye, “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” (1971) 36. Stevie Wonder, “Superstition” (1972) 37. Stevie Wonder, “Living for the City” (1973) 38. Stevie Wonder, “You Havent’ Done Nothin” (1974) 39. Marvin Gaye, “Let’s Get it On” (1973) 40. The Commodores, “Brick House” (1977) 41. Rick James, Superfreak” (1981)