Course Descriptions
Spring 2023
Core Course
Popular Music and Media (GMST 026/FMST 026/LITR 026/MUSI 005E)
Sunka Simon & James Blasina, SC
Wednesday 12:00–3:00 p.m. and Friday 12:15-3:00 p.m.*
*Friday is an occasional meeting time for program students only.
What do classical music, teenie bop, soul, battle rap, and jazz have in common? Philadelphia. This team-taught interdisciplinary course investigates the histories, structures and cultural connections between popular music and other media in the city of Philadelphia. What links sound, image, and place? How do musical expressions and genres interact with urban life at specific junctures in Philadelphia history? How do modes of production and exhibition formats (radio vs. television, club v.s stadium) along with distribution venues (record store vs. Spotify) engage with genre, gender, and race configurations? What lies at the intersection of regional, national, and global fan cultures? How does celebrity culture then and now impact what is popular and how does it affect Philadelphia’s music industry and vice versa? Providing a grounding in music and media history and theory, we will research and analyze mainstream and independent Philadelphia-specific case studies in radio, film, theater, television and social media in order to better understand and engage with the complex webs that characterize contemporary media, its production, and its consumption. Student projects will explore the intersections and interactions between individuals, ethnic and racial groups, established and new Philadelphians, city government, region, empire, and nation that have and continue to shape Philadelphia through the music and media created here. This course will be taught in Philadelphia as the core class of the Tri-Co Philly Program.
Contemporary Art and Film in Philadelphia (HART B380)
Homay King, BMC
Thursday 12:10–3:00 p.m.
This course will explore the vibrant contemporary art world of the city of Philadelphia—a city uniquely positioned to attract artists with its many top-tier fine art schools, world-class museums, affordable living and studio spaces, and thriving network of artist-run galleries and exhibition spaces. Some of our sessions will take the form of seminar discussions with readings in the theory and history of contemporary art and film at the Trico Philly campus, while some will involve visits to local museums, galleries, cinemas, and art institutes, and meetings with arts professionals. We will discuss whether the distinction between film and other forms of lensed, moving imagery on the one hand and contemporary art on the other continues to matter, whether from a conceptual, institutional, or economic perspective. Site visits are subject to change but may include the Philadelphia Academy of Fines Arts, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Fabric Workshop and Museum, Vox Populi, and BlackStar Film Festival. Prerequisite: prior coursework in the History of Art, Film Studies, and/or Visual Studies. Requirements: strong, active participation in discussions and meetings with guests, final research paper of 8-10 pages. This course will be taught in Philadelphia as part of the Tri-Co Philly Program.
City of Brotherly Love: Images of a Changing City (GERM H210)
Imke Brust, HC
Monday Noon–3:00 p.m.

Contact Us
Tri-Co Philly Program
Calista Cleary
Tri-Co Philly Program Planning Director
Founders 028, Haverford College
Phone: 610-795-1576
ccleary@haverford.edu