ARTS 229
Radical Sonics Spring 2025
Division I

Radical Sonics explores sound in the practice of contemporary art, interrogating how listening can be used to actively address societal, geopolitical, and ecological concerns. Radical Sonics combines research and production in modalities of noise, deep listening, remote listening, voice, sound objects, soundscapes, acoustic ecology, Deaf studies, field recording, spatialized listening, silence, and assistive listening. This course places an extended focus on listening as a radical strategy within contemporary art and critical discourse, addressing approaches to sonic materialism and audio culture found in feminist, queer, and crip theory. Screenings, readings, and discussion are supported by hands-on workshops in acoustics, formalized listening strategies, recording, editing, post-production, installation, and documentation. The course combines theory and practice, asking students to produce sound projects informed by an awareness of the historical and conceptual issues that structure sonic media and technologies. Students leave this course with skills in listening, performance, audio production, and critique, building a strong foundation for creating sound-based projects intersecting with other media.