CEI 531 - Cultural Diversity in American Musicals

Using classic American musicals, students will explore differences in ethnicity, gender and economic class. Musicals to be discussed will include Show Boat, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, My Fair Lady, South Pacific, King and I, Carousel and other musical examples. Students will be asked to explore and report on contemporary examples of musicals and popular music videos to expand the resources available in our online classroom. These resources, in addition to assigned readings from Lois Stalvey’s Education of a WASP and Claude Steele’s Whistling Vivaldi will form a context for exploring concepts in cultural diversity (specifically stereotyping, ethnicity, racism, sexism, and economical stratification) and how these concepts affect us in our work environments and everyday lives.

3 credits