| Date |
Class |
|
| 4 |
Spt |
Introduction: (a) seminar structure, (b) student expectations and responsibilities, (c) readings and videos, (d) short essays, (e) research essay, and (f) subject matter.
Video: The Beatles Anthology (Episode 1) [79 mins.]
Discussion: What do you know of the Beatles' story? How does the world described in this episode compare to today's world? What is different about that world? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a say about what goes into a documentary about yourself? |
1 |
|
| 9 |
|
Presentations [20 minutes each]
Team One (Meczywor, Kim, Lipton, & Bakerman): John Lennon's pre-Beatles background
Team Two (Weigel, Green, Borkowski, & Siu): Paul McCartney's pre-Beatles background
Team Three (Samors, Ross, Oundjian, & Przysinda): George Harrison's pre-Beatles background
Team Four (Aleman, Kastner, & Zabludoff):
Richard Starkey's pre-Beatles background
Discussion: Describe postwar Britain and Liverpool. How do the biographical descriptions compare to the Anthology representation? Who are the authors? What was their background before working on these biographies? |
2 |
| 11 |
|
Presentations [10 minutes each]
Team Four: The origin of the name "The Beatles"
Team One: Hamburg
Team Two: The Cavern Club
Team Three: Brian Epstein
Team Four: The Decca Audition
Team One: George Martin and the Parlophone contract
Team Two: "Love Me Do" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team Three: "Please Please Me" (composition, performance, & recording)
Discussion: If you were an American record-company executive in 1963, would you have signed a distribution agreement with Parlophone for "Love Me Do" and "Please Please Me"? |
3 |
| 13 |
|
Assignment: CV and Personal-goals Statement |
|
|
| 16 |
|
Video: The Beatles Anthology (Episode 2) [72 mins.]
Discussion: How have The Beatles chosen to present themselves? The video shows Roy Orbison performing "Oh, Pretty Woman." When was that recording released? How old are The Beatles in 1963? |
4 |
| 18 |
|
Presentations [20 minutes each]
Team Three: Creating and recording Please Please Me (LP)
Team Four: Dick James, Dick James Music, and Northern Songs
Team One: Lennon and McCartney as songwriters
Team Two: "From Me to You" (composition, performance, & recording)
Discussion: What strategies are the Beatles, their management, and their production crew pursuing to take advantage of their growing popularity? What is the relationship between touring and recording? Where is their greatest income? |
5 |
| 20 |
|
Assignment: Short Essay 1 |
|
|
| 23 |
|
Presentations [20 minutes each]
Team Two: "She Loves You" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team Three: Significance of Sunday Night at the London Palladium and the Royal Command Performance
Team Four: "I Want to Hold Your Hand" & "This Boy" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team One: Capitol Records and "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
Discussion: What circumstances contributed to Beatlemania? Could these circumstances happen again? If you were Dave Dexter, what would you have done with Beatles recordings? |
6 |
| 25 |
|
Video: The Beatles Anthology (Episode 3) [73 mins.]
Discussion: What are your family's memories of the Beatles arriving in the United States? What were the cultural circumstances of the Beatles' arrival in the US? What was going on in America in 1963-1964? How did the American media cover the cultural phenomenon of the Beatles? |
7 |
| 27 |
|
no assignment |
|
|
| 30 |
|
Presentations [20 minutes each]
Team One: The Ed Sullivan Show. When had these appearances been arranged? How much were the Beatles paid? Why was this television appearance so important?
Team Two: A Hard Day's Night (contract, script, director, filming)
Team Three: "A Hard Day's Night" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team Four: World tour, 1964. Where did they go? Who went with them?
Discussion: How and why were visual media (posters, television, and film) important to the marketing of the Beatles? How have the Beatles influenced the way we use media today? Besides being digital, how are these media different today? |
8 |
| 2 |
Oct |
Guest: Maureen Mahon, Department of Anthropology, New York University |
|
| |
|
Paper Topics [Approx. 5 minutes each]: Briefly introduce the topic you are researching for your final seminar paper and presentation. Clearly identify your (a) subject, (b) thesis, and (c) sources. Professor Mahon will briefly respond to your presentation. |
9 |
| 4 |
|
Assignment: Paper Abstract |
|
|
| 7 |
|
Video: The Beatles Anthology (Episode 4) [71 mins.]
Discussion: How does the Anthology portray the Beatles? Are they active agents in their own lives? What contexts both empower and disempower them? |
10 |
| 9 |
|
Presentations [20 minutes each]
Team Three: US Tour 1964
Team Four: Meeting Bob Dylan
Team One: "She's a Woman" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team Two: "I Feel Fine" (composition, performance, & recording)
Discussion: What is going on in the world in 1964? What other music is popular in the summer and fall of 1964? |
11 |
| |
|
no assignment |
|
|
| 14 |
|
Presentations [20 minutes each]
Team Two: "Ticket to Ride" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team Three: Help! (filming, music, promotion)
Team Four: "Help!" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team One: What is an MBE, why were the Beatles receiving them, and why did some people object?
Discussion: tba |
12 |
| 16 |
|
Video: The Beatles Anthology (Episode 5) [72 mins.]
Discussion: What is happening in this period in the relationship between touring and recording? What music technology is available and what role does it play for the Beatles' in 1965-66? |
13 |
| 18 |
|
Assignment: Short Essay 2 |
|
|
| 21 |
|
Presentations [10 minutes each]
Team One: Shea Stadium concert
Team Two: Meeting Elvis Presley
Team Three: US Tour, 1965
Team Four: LSD
Team One: "Daytripper" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team Two: "We Can Work It Out" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team Three: "In My Life" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team Four: "Nowhere Man" (composition, performance, & recording)
Discussion: tba |
14 |
| 23 |
|
Presentations [10 minutes each]
Team Four: Winter 1966 (What were they doing?)
Team One: "Tomorrow Never Knows" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team Two: "Got to Get You into My Life" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team Three: "Love You To" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team Four: "Eleanor Rigby" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team One: "Paperback Writer" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team Two: "Rain" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team Three: World Tour, 1966 (Where did they go and what happened?)
Discussion: tba |
15 |
| |
|
no assignment |
|
|
| 28 |
|
Video: The Beatles Anthology (Episode 6) [71 mins.]
Discussion: What happened to Beatlemania? What happened to the audience? What had happened to the Beatles? With whom were they in competition in 1966? |
16 |
| 30 |
|
Presentations [20 minutes each]
Team Three: Fall 1966 (What were they doing?)
Team Four: "Strawberry Fields Forever" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team One: "Penny Lane" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team Two: Beatles contracts and releases, November 1966–February 1967
Discussion: tba |
17 |
| 1 |
Nov |
Assignment: Short Essay 3 |
|
|
| 4 |
|
Presentations [20 minutes each]
Team Two: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (underlying concepts)
Team Three: "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team Four: "A Day in the Life" (composition, performance, recording, & reactions)
Team One: Sgt. Pepper's art work
Discussion: tba |
18 |
| 6 |
|
Video: The Beatles Anthology (Episode 7) [74 mins.]
Discussion: Who are the Beatles in summer of 1967? How do they see themselves in this documentary? |
19 |
| |
|
no assignment |
|
|
| 11 |
|
Presentations [20 minutes each]
Team One: "All You Need Is Love" and the Our World broadcast
Team Two: Brian Epstein's death
Team Three: "I Am the Walrus" (composition, performance, & recording)
Team Four: Magical Mystery Tour
Discussion: What happened to the Beatles as a business after the death of Brian Epstein? Had Epstein not died, how might Magical Mystery Tour and other projects have been different? |
20 |
| 13 |
|
Paper preparation day (no seminar meeting) |
|
|
| 18 |
|
Presentations [20 minutes each]
Team Four: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Rishikesh
Team One: Yellow Submarine (film)
Team Two: Apple Corps
Team Three: Yoko Ono
Discussion: How have the Beatles changed since 1962? Since 1965? How old are they? What would expectations have been for someone their age in 1968? What else was happening in 1968? |
21 |
| 20 |
|
Video: The Beatles Anthology (Episode 8) [81 mins.]
Discussion: Why did this enterprise (artistically and legally) dissolve? |
22 |
| |
|
Beatlemore Skidmania (21-22 November): Volunteers needed |
|
|
| 25 |
|
Assignment: Paper draft |
23 |
| |
|
Thanksgiving Break |
|
|
| 2 |
Dec |
Paper Presentations
Paper 1 (4:05–4:30): Meczywor
Paper 2 (4:30–4:55): Kastner
Paper 3 (4:55–5:20): Lipton
Paper 4 (5:20–5:45): Bakerman |
24 |
| 4 |
|
Paper Presentations
Paper 1 (4:05–4:30): Weigel
Paper 2 (4:30–4:55): Green
Paper 3 (4:55–5:20): Siu |
25 |
|
| 9 |
|
Paper Presentations
Paper 1 (4:05–4:30): Samors
Paper 2 (4:30–4:55): Ross
Paper 3 (4:55–5:20):Przysinda |
26 |
|
| 17 |
|
Paper Presentations
Paper 1 (10:05–10:30): Aleman
Paper 2 (10:30–10:55): Kim
Paper 3 (10:55–11:20): Zabludoff
Paper 4 (11:20-11:45): Oundjian |
27 |