The History of Rock, 1970-1995

A Peer to Peer Learning Experience

Learn the history of rock, from blues-rock to reggae, to punk, new wave, and indie rock, in a collaborative five-week course, using the Peer-to-Peer model. Register by phone, in person, or online.

Learn about the cultural and musical shifts taking place from 1970-1995 that influenced the many genres we have come to know collectively as rock music. Using the Peer-to-Peer University model (https://www.p2pu.org/en/#learning-circles), participants will work through a five-week online course together. 

This course examines the history of rock, primarily as it unfolded in the United States, from the early 1970s to the early 1990s. This course covers the music of Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers, Carole King, Bob Marley, the Sex Pistols, Donna Summer, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Metallica, Run-DMC, and Nirvana, and many more artists, with an emphasis both on cultural context and on the music itself. We will also explore how developments in the music business and with technology helped shape the ways in which styles developed.

Emerging out of the experimental and ambitious years of late-60s psychedelia, rock splintered into a variety of styles in the 1970s as the music business continued to expand. By the end of the decade, punk and disco had challenged the excesses of the hippie aesthetic, as rock became more commercially streamlined and radio-friendly. The emergence and rise of MTV transformed pop music and propelled the careers of Michael Jackson and Madonna, while heavy metal and hip-hop dominated the late 1980s. Nirvana lead alt-rock's return to simplicity in the early 1990s. 

Seats are limited. Please register.

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