Caribbean Song: Music, Poetry, and the Oral Tradition-Online

The rich oral traditions of the Caribbean are present in popular music as well as poetry. In this course we examine lyrical genres of popular Caribbean music, including calypso and reggae, as well as the work of acclaimed Caribbean poets from the twentieth century to the contemporary era, including Derek Walcott, Lorna Goodson, Kamau Brathwaite, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Louise Bennett, Jennifer Rahim, and Jean Binta Breeze. We will analyze calypsos  by The Mighty Sparrow, Lord Invader, Lord Kitchener, and reggae songs by Bob Marley and the Wailers, Marcia Griffiths, Jimmy Cliff, and Tarrus Riley. We will seek to broaden our understanding of Caribbean song as a richly nuanced commentary on the unique cultural, historical, and political experiences of Caribbean people.