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Explore popular music and “ugly feelings” in new fall course
This fall, Case Western Reserve University students are invited to explore popular music through the complicated emotions that shape how music is created, heard and understood.
MUHI 390: Topics in Music History — Popular Music & Ugly Feelings offers a critical introduction to popular music studies through the lens of “ugly feelings”—experiences marked by negativity, discomfort and ambivalence. The course meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:35–1:50 p.m. in Haydn Hall, Room 102 and is open to undergraduate students from across the university.
Taught by Ken Tianyuan Ge, PhD, DMA, the three-credit course examines how music and emotional performance can illuminate questions of social inequality, identity, power and cultural experience. Students will consider how listening and feeling are shaped by social, cultural and historical forces—and how popular music can challenge those expectations.
Drawing on music, scholarship and cultural criticism, the course brings together voices ranging from vaudeville singer Mamie Smith and hyperpop artist SOPHIE (Sophie Xeon) to queer theorist José Esteban Muñoz. Topics will include sound, affect, emotion, politics, aesthetics, bodies, racialization, gender, normativity, colonialism, globalization, technology and economics.
Throughout the semester, students will investigate questions such as: Where have “ugly feelings” appeared in the production, circulation and reception of popular music? How can music express or critique social inequality? And how might popular music reveal assumptions about who is expected to listen, feel and belong?
No previous music training is required. Students do not need to read Western musical notation or perform on an instrument to enroll, and there is no textbook to purchase. Course readings, listening assignments and viewing materials will be provided through Canvas.
Students will participate in weekly readings, listening and class discussions, along with occasional discussion leadership and brief written responses. The semester will culminate in a research paper connecting the course’s central questions with a topic of each student's own interest.
Course Details
MUHI 390: Topics in Music History — Popular Music & Ugly Feelings
Fall 2026 | 3 credit hours
Mondays/Wednesdays | 12:35–1:50 p.m.
Haydn Hall, Room 102
Instructor: Ken Tianyuan Ge, PhD, DMA
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