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ENGL 101 -- THE (MUSIC) GENRE ESSAY -- Kerr

This campus guide provides resources and recommendations for students completing research in Professor Reid Kerr's genre essay.

Zoom In Option 1

Briefly contextualize central/repeating themes in the music and lyrics of a few major artists associated with the genre. Through these representative example, you can make claims about the rhetoric of the genre or the identities (the audience) it informs or reflects. 


For this focus, you will be using lyrics in your essay. Remember that like poetry, lyrics are considered primary sources. Like poetry, sources on specific lyrics can be challenging to find. Much of what you write will likely depend on your own interpretation of the lyrics themselves. The book sources below contain criticism and interpretation of select artists. However, for more emerging and less established musicians you will need to look at open web sources. Article sources from databases such as JSTOR and ProQuest are worth checking as well. 

REQUIREMENTS FOR RESEARCH COMPONENT

  • Minimum of four sources. Of these sources, you need to have at least one:
    • Chapter from a book OR
    • Scholarly journal and/or “peer-reviewed” article
    • AND any combination of the following relevant to your option

    • Newspaper article
    • Magazine article
    • Open web source such as 
      • Fan discussions
      • Blogs
      • Social Media 
      • Interviews
      • The music itself (such as lyrics, which would be considered a primary source!)
      • Other -- confirm with Professor Kerr

  • If you will be using less "traditional", documented sources, be sure to confirm that the source is acceptable by first consulting with your instructor. 

SAMPLE SELECTION OF EBOOK SOURCES

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