2022/23 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

LISS1004 British Popular Music in the North of England

10 creditsClass Size: 30

Module manager: Dr Philip Kiszely
Email: P.Kiszely@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: 1 Jul to 31 Aug View Timetable

Year running 2022/23

Pre-requisite qualifications

GPA of 2.8 (US) or equivalent and enrolled at a university.

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

Joy Division, The Smiths, A Guy Called Gerald, the Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys. But what about The Stone Roses, Echo and the Bunnymen, Lisa Stansfield, Reverend and the Makers and the Happy Mondays? Oh, yes, and a little band called The Beatles! The trouble is the list is just way too long. It’s true that the North of England has a most formidable reputation for innovation in pop music, but why is this the case? How do these ground-breaking and acclaimed musicians and performers speak of their region and the wider culture in their music? This module will explore these questions and more through a mixture of presentations, workshops and visits, with a focus on musical and lyrical content, culture and heritage, identity and iconography. This module usually includes a field trip to the city of Manchester.

Objectives

The module will introduce British popular music in textual, industrial and socio-cultural terms, with particular emphasis on music that has come out of the north of England.

On completion of the module, students will:
- be able to map key musical developments;
- be able to root aesthetic identification within regional histories;
- understand the role of the music press;
- assess aspects of the performance of individual style and iconography through case studies from the north of England
- be able to consider popular music as a driver of social and cultural change

Learning outcomes
With critical engagement suitable for a summer school module, students should be able to:
1. demonstrate an awareness of musical heritage and how this relates to the north of England;
2. relate local trends to the wider popular culture landscape;
3. deconstruct and analyse song and performance by textual, semiotic and socio-cultural means;
4. explore the relation of musical form to content;
5. read significations within iconography and style.
6. deconstruct song and performance in terms of identity.

Skills outcomes
On completion of this module, students should be able to:
- demonstrate the development of research, essay/review-writing and oral presentational skills;
- display independence of thought, self-motivation and initiative;
- manage personal workloads and meet strict deadlines;
- demonstrate information retrieval skills, including the ability to gather, sift, synthesise and organise material independently and critically evaluate its significance.

Syllabus

Through a combined lecture, seminar and visits programme, this course will introduce:
- the key innovative popular music writers and performers of the region;
- the impact of the modern city on music;
- the influence of the region's industrial heritage;
- the symbiotic relationship between the music press and the musician;
- attitudes towards class, race, sexuality and gender in relation to northern popular music;
- iconic performance sites in the north of England: visits to these will be the Hacienda (Manchester), famously linked to The Stone Roses, The Happy Mondays, and Morrissey and The Smiths; and the Refectory (Leeds), host to The Rolling Stones, The Clash, and The Who.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Visit	1	10.00	10.00
Fieldwork	1	8.00	8.00
Seminar	8	3.00	24.00
Independent online learning hours			15.00
Private study hours			43.00
Total Contact hours			42.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			100.00

Private study

15 hours pre-course preparatory work: materials available on Minerva

43 hours private study: this will include reading or listening in preparation for seminars or visit, essay writing, presentation preparation

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Student progress will be monitored through:

- Participation in class discussion
- Achievement in oral presentations

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Portfolio	3 Short Pieces of Work	60.00
Presentation	10 minute group presentation	40.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 14/10/2022

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