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Music, Identity and Gender

Code: 100634
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Musicology OP 3
Musicology OP 4

Contact lecturer

Name :
Silvia Martinez Garcia
Email :
silvia.martinez.garcia@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Diego Alonso Tomás

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

None

Objectives

- To identify the processes that underlie the relationships between sociocultural gender categories and musical dynamics, in the contemporary Western world

- To obtain a critical overview of the main feminist and gender theories

- To connect the transcultural variability of symbolic and political systems with musical practices

- To apply the main theoretical and analytical tools recently developed in the field of Feminist Musicology, the Queer Theory and the different theoretical currents of feminism of the 20th and 21st centuries, to research.

- To prepare small-scale historical or ethnographic research projects with a gender perspective

- To develop critical thinking about Musicology and Gender Studies applied to music that contribute, in the long term, to improving the field of studies

Learning outcomes

  1. Submitting works in accordance with both individual and small group demands and personal styles.
  2. Identifying the theories about human species in their relation to society and culture production.
  3. Identifying the transcultural variability of economic, kinship, political, symbolic and cognitive, educational and gender systems as well as their corresponding anthropological theory.
  4. Carrying out a planning for the development of a subject-related work.
  5. Write critical papers on musicology that are planned and organised efficiently.
  6. Consider the subject as a whole and identify the context in which the processes studied are inscribed and their interrelationship with the elements and factors that are involved in their sociohistorical development.
  7. Use the main theoretical concepts and approaches related to questions of identity developed through the musical activity and in relation to the set of humanistic and social science disciplines.
  8. Define the concepts referred to in relation to the specific problems in the distinction of genres as a generator of the construction of social relations.
  9. Identify the main inequalities and discriminations in terms of sex/gender present in society.
  10. Analyse the sex-/gender-based inequalities and gender bias in one's own area of knowledge.
  11. Communicate using language that is not sexist or discriminatory.
  12. Consider how gender stereotypes and roles impinge on the exercise of the profession.

Contents

T.1. Key concepts for the study of Music and Gender


Reading Material and Resources:

  • Citron, Marcia J. 1993. Gender and the Musical Canon. Urbana: University of Illinois Press
  • Green, Lucy. 2001. Música, género y educación. Madrid: Morata
  • McClary, Susan. 1991. Feminine Endings. Music, Gender and Sexuality. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press


T.2. Trends in White Feminism: A Perspective from Music

ReadingMaterial and Resources:

  • Cascudo, Teresa. 1998. «Los trabajos de Penélope musicóloga: musicología y feminismo entre 1974 y 1994». En Música y mujeres: género y poder, compilado por Marisa Manchado, 179–190. Madrid: Horas y Horas
  • López Castilla, Teresa y Sílvia Martínez. 2026. Resistencias musicales. Ensayos sobre memoria, raza, vulnerabilidad y prácticas queer. UJA
  • Ramos, Pilar. 2010. «Luces y sombras en los estudios sobre las mujeres y la música». Revista Musical Chilena 64 (213): 7–25.
  • Citron, Marcia J. 2007. «Women and the Western Art Canon: Where Are We Now?». Notes: Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association 64 (2): 209–215
  • Warwick, Jacqueline. 2015. «Midnight Ramblers and Material Girls: Gender and Stardom in Rock and Pop». En The SAGE Handbook of Popular Music, editado por Andy Bennett y Steve Waksman, 322–345. London: SAGE Publication



T.3. Gender and Masculinities

Reading Material and Resources:

  • Hansen, Kai Arne. 2022. Pop Masculinities: The Politics of Gender in Twenty-First Century Popular Music. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Dossiers feministes. 2001. Vol. 6 “Masculinitats. Mites, de/construccions i mascarades”. Castelló
  • Biddle, Ian and Gibson, Kirsten. 2012. Masculinity and Western Music Practice. Ashgate
  • Walser, Robert. 1993. Running with the Devil... Hanover: Wesleyan University Press (cap. 4)



T.4. Women and the Historiography of Music

  • Adkins Chiti, Patricia. Las mujeres en la música. Madrid: Alianza, 1995
  • Leppert, R. y McClary, S. (eds.): Music and Society. The Politics of Composition, Performance and Reception. Cambridge University Press, 1987
  • Lorenzo, Josemi. “La historia de las mujeres y la historia de la música: ausencias, presencias y cuestionesteórico-metodológicas”. In: Marisa Manchado. Música y mujeres. Género y poder. Madrid: Ed. Horas y HORAS, pp.19-38



T.5. Queer Studies, performance and musicology


Materials complementaris:

  • Brett, Philip et al. (eds). 1994. Queering the Pitch. The new gay and lesbian musicology. New York: Routledge
  • Córdoba, D; Sáez, J; Vidarte, P. 2005. Teoría Queer. Barcelona: Egales
  • Hawkins, Stan. 2016. Queerness in Pop Music Aesthetics, Gender Norms, and Temporality. Routledge.
  • Russell, Legacy. 2020. Glitch Feminism. A Manifesto. Verso.
  • Taylor, Jodie. 2012. Playing it Queer. Popular Music, Identity and Queer World-making. Bern: Peter Lang



T.6. Gender Perspectives on Popular Music


Reading Materials and Resources:

  • Spiller, Henry. 2019. «A Queer Organology of the Pedal Harp». Women and Music: A Journal of Gender and Culture 23: 99–121.
  • García García, Lidia. 2022. ¡Ay, campaneras! Canciones para seguir adelante. Plan B
  • Liska, Mercedes. 2023. Mi culo es mío: políticas de género y significaciones recientes de las eróticas de baile, del meneaíto al twerking. Gourmet Editorial
  • Monty Peiró, Monty. 2023.El diablo vino a mí: Género, drogas y rock and roll. Saigón Editorial. 2023.
  • Sánchez Olmos, Candela et al. (eds.). 2023. Rebel Girls! Desigualdad de género, discursos y activismo en la industria musical. Barcelona: Gedisa



T.7. Transfeminisms, antiracist and decolonial feminisms

Reading Materials and Resources:

  • Curiel, Ochy y Diego Falconí. 2021. Feminismos decoloniales y transformación social. Icaria
  • Espinosa Miñoso, Yuderkys. 2022. De por qué es necesario un feminismo descoloníal. Icaria
  • Filigrana, Pastora. 2020. El pueblo gitano contra el sistema-mundo. Akal
  • Galindo, María. 2021. Feminismo bastardo. Mujeres creando




Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Individual and group supervision 8 0.32
Classes and exams 35 1.4
Reading Seminar 34 1.36
Study and preparation of the course material 50 2

Reading seminar

This seminar encourages student participation. The contents of the course will be acquired mainly by reading and discussing the selected texts, as well as analyzing and discussing the proposed audiovisual materials. The active follow-up of the course implies a personal commitment to prepare the reading material and actively participate in the related class room debates.

As a complement to the texts, we will also work from concrete and practical case studies, from which the theoretical aspects and the key concepts of the syllabus will be derived.


Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Test - Basic content 30% 8 0.32 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Online tests on basic course readings 10% 15 0.6 2, 3, 4, 7, 8
Active class participation and classroom activities 20% 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Glossary 10% 0 0 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11
Test 2 30% 0 0 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11

The due dates for assignments and assessment activities will be indicated in the course syllabus, accessible from the virtual campus (Moodle). At the time each assessment activity is conducted, the instructor will inform students of the procedure and the date for reviewing grades.

Class attendance is recommended for proper follow-up of the course content and discussions, although it will not be mandatory. Non-attendance will not be penalized in the evaluation. However, continuous and active attendance at class sessions will be favorably considered.

The Virtual Campus assessment activities in the Quizzes format are mandatory.

The student will receive a grade of Not Graded if they have not submitted more than 30% of the assessment activities

The course assessment is designed to be continuous, taking into account the student's performance throughout the entire quarter. Therefore, a re-evaluation is considered an exceptional measure and must be arranged with the professor in advance

To be eligible to take the make-up exam, it is an absolute requirement to have achieved an average score of 5 on the questionnaires and to have passed at least one of the written partial exams with a score of 4.5.

If a student commits any irregularity that could lead to a significant change in the grade of an assessment, that assessment will be graded 0, regardless of any disciplinary proceedings that may be initiated. In the event that multiple irregularities occur in the assessments for the same course, the final grade for that course will be 0.

Final grade reviews will be conducted directly with the professor on dates announced in advance.



SINGLE ASSESSMENT

  1. An individual reflective essay on readings and course content (40% of the overall course grade)
  2. Oral presentation and discussion of reflections on required readings (20% of the grade)
  3. Written exam (40% of the total grade)

The paper submission, exam, and oral presentations will all take place on a single date indicated in the course syllabus, which is accessible from the virtual campus.


USE OF A.I.

In this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is allowed as an integral part of the development of the work, as long as the final result reflects a significant contribution of the student in the analysis and personal reflection. The student will have to clearly identify which parts have been generated with this technology, specify the tools used and include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. Non-transparency of the use of AI will be considered academic dishonesty and may result in a penalty in the grade of the activity, or higher penalties in serious cases.

Bibliography

Brett, Philip et al. (eds). 1994. Queering the Pitch. The new gay and lesbian musicology. New York: Routledge

Citron, Marcia J. 1993. Gender and the Musical Canon. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

Green, Lucy. 2001. Música, género y educación. Madrid: Morata

Hawkins, Stan. 2017. The Routledge Research Companion to Popular Music and Gender, New York: Routledge

Liska, Mercedes. 2024. Mi culo es mío. Mujeres que bailan como se les canta. Gourmet Musical

Manchado, Marisa (ed.). 1998. Música y mujeres. Género y poder. Madrid: Ed. Horas y HORAS

Marinas, Leyre. 2024. Fucked Feminism Fans. Los orígenes del #MeToo desde la cultura pop musical. Dos Bigotes

McClary, Susan. 1991. Feminine Endings. Music, Gender and Sexuality. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press.

Monty Peiró, Monty. 2023. El diablo vino a mí: Género, drogas y rock and roll. Saigón Editorial. 2023.

Ramos, Pilar. 2003. Feminismo y música. Introducción crítica. Madrid: Nareca

Russell, Legacy. 2020. Glitch Feminism. A Manifesto. Verso.

Sánchez Olmos, Candela et al. (eds.). 2023. Rebel Girls! Desigualdad de género, discursos y activismo en la industria musical. Barcelona: Gedisa, 2023

Taylor, Jodie. 2012. Playing it Queer. Popular Music, Identity and Queer World-making. Bern: Peter Lang

Viñuela, Laura.2004. La perspectiva de género y la música popular. Madrid: KRK

Software

No specific software needed

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Spanish second semester morning-mixed