Gospel music evolved from syncopated African spirituals, field hollers, and Christian hymns, and in turn influenced musical traditions as diverse as the blues, Celtic music and soul. Using lecture, audio-visual examples, group discussion and group singing exercises, this course will explore the vocal tradition of gospel music through a socio-cultural, historical, political and aesthetic lens, and in so doing trace the history of one of the oldest and most exuberant vocal genres of North America. LL Lect: 3 hrs. Course Weight: 1.00 Billing Units: 1