Learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

• understand the notion of the academic study of popular music (sometimes referred to as Popular Music Studies)

• consider the extent to which the sexual revolution brought about greater equality of opportunities for female popular musicians, such as Janis Joplin

• situate the position of female American popular musicians, such as Janis Joplin, during the 1960s within the wider context of other social ‘revolutions’ taking place at the same time in the United States, including the Civil Rights Movement, the sexual revolution, and development of the counterculture

• develop your skills in close listening to music.