How do Americans collectively remember war? What role does music play in war memory? This course discusses these questions by studying music that relates to, commemorates, and criticizes the American legacy of militarism. Wars have shaped American identity since the country’s founding and music has both reinforced and protested every war with American involvement. Classical and popular music, as well as music in films, serve to support Americans’ perspectives on war. Though other cultures are, of course, impacted by American military actions, war media, including films and their soundtracks, such as Apocalypse Now and Platoon, focus on American experiences and American suffering to the exclusion of others. The same has been true for many American composers, even when their works stand as musical protests against war. Collective memory is far from unified and different groups of Americans use music to reinforce their identities in varied ways. For example, Southern veterans of the Vietnam War often identify strongly with Civil War veterans the Lost Cause because of perceptions that the Vietnam War was unethical and similarly lost. These relationships are expressed and consumed through American popular music and literature. Through an exploration of music in American collective memory of war, students will gain listening skills and musical vocabulary, and they will learn to listen in a critical way