LAPR 961 Opera and Politics

Division of Liberal Arts

3 credits 45.0 hours
200 level undergraduate course

Throughout its history, whether at court or in public theaters, opera has exhibited a magnetic pull on artists and audiences attracted to the exploration of political themes. This course examines operatic instantiations of the conflict between social conformity and personal freedom, the hedonistic abuse of power, the glorification of past achievements in order to deflect attention from present impotence, the retreat from political disillusionment, and idealized interior worlds. General commentary on musical, formal, and dramatic elements characteristic of historical periods alternates with closer analysis of specific works.

Prerequisites LACR*102 or LACR*103

This course is not repeatable for credit.