Course Description

Instructor: James Pagliasotti

This class examines music, media, and culture at a time of profound social upheaval. The intersection where they met in post-War America was pivotal, the effect they had on each other was unprecedented and altered them in ways that still impact society today. At its core is a classic struggle between art and commerce, innovation and orthodoxy, freedom and control. And it's only rock 'n' roll. With a mix of lecture, audio-visual, music, and discussion, we study why it's a story worth remembering and retelling through our personal narrative of the time.

Bio: James Pagliasotti came of age in Colorado during those chaotic and exciting years after WWII. He was first published in 1968 when he became the original rock & roll columnist for The Denver Post, where he wrote extensively about the counterculture and the music that was its voice.