• Contact Info

Okigbo, Austin Chinagorom

Associate Professor

Positions

Research Areas research areas

Research

research overview

  • My research interests are African and diaspora religious experiences, global health, inter-religious and intercultural dialogues. My work on the New African Musical Diasporas looks at the ways in which music is used to negotiate distinctive ethnic identities. Meanwhile, my ongoing work on music and religion, and music and politics in Africa remains an important informative background to understanding the new diasporic musical activities. My research interest broadly speaking continues to inform my teaching. My Music and Global Health course for instance draw from my work on music and health. It is now fulfilling medical humanities requirements for students in the Global Public Health Certificate as well as the global health track for students in International Affairs. My work on inter-cultural dialogues has also informed my course on World Music Pedagogy (as part of multicultural music education) for the MME Institute.

keywords

  • Music in African and African diaspora religions, world vocal traditions, music in global health, inter-religious dialogue, intercultural dialogue, world popular music, and popular aesthetics

Teaching

courses taught

  • EMUS 1467 - World Music Ensemble
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2020 / Spring 2022
    Study and performance of musics of diverse cultures in the United States, including Native American, Latin American, African American and Asian American, as well as music from the mother cultures of these groups. Same as EMUS 3467 and EMUS 5467.
  • EMUS 3467 - World Music Ensemble
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2020 / Spring 2022
    Study and performance of musics of diverse cultures in the United States, including Native American, Latin American, African American and Asian American, as well as music from the mother cultures of these groups. Same as EMUS 1467 and EMUS 5467.
  • EMUS 5467 - World Music Ensemble
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2020
    Study and performance of musics of diverse cultures in the United States, including Native American, Latin American, African American and Asian American, as well as music from the mother cultures of these groups. Same as EMUS 1467 and EMUS 3467.
  • IMUS 5093 - Contemporary Topics in Music Education
    Primary Instructor - Summer 2018 / Summer 2019 / Summer 2020 / Summer 2021 / Summer 2022 / Summer 2023 / Summer 2024
  • MUEL 2782 - World Music: Africa, Europe, and the Americas
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2023
    Highlights music in Africa, Europe and the Americas using current ethnomusicological materials.
  • MUEL 3862 - Music and Global Health
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2018 / Summer 2019 / Fall 2020 / Fall 2022 / Spring 2023 / Fall 2024
    Explores the ways in which music relates to health in different cultures including: Western art and popular music; ritual healings in Africa, Asia and Native and South America peoples; in relation to contemporary global health challenges.
  • MUEL 4012 - African Music
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2022
    Studies music cultures of Africa and the Black Diaspora, including folk and art music traditions, religious and popular music genres. Specific course topics could cover any or all of these styles, including exploring interconnections of musical stylistics of Africa and the Black Diaspora. Same as MUSC 4012 and MUSC 5012.
  • MUSC 1802 - Introduction to Musical Styles and Ideas
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2018 / Fall 2019 / Fall 2021 / Fall 2023
    Introduces the study of musical traditions of the world; equips students with requisite skills for understanding and analyzing music as an art in historical and cultural contexts using an integrative approach that includes selected styles and genres, critical reading and writing skills and mastery of conceptual issues related to the discipline of music. Satisfies the World Music requirement for undergraduate students in the College of Music.
  • MUSC 4012 - African Music
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2018 / Fall 2021 / Spring 2024
    Studies music cultures of Africa and the Black Diaspora, including folk and art music traditions, religious and popular music genres. Specific course topics could cover any or all of these styles, including exploring interconnections of musical stylistics of Africa and the Black Diaspora. Same as MUEL 4012 and MUSC 5012.
  • MUSC 4202 - Special Topic in Musicology: Current and Critical Issues
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2021 / Fall 2022
    Examination of a specific topic of current or critical interest within areas of music history, ethnomusicology, critical theoryand practice across the spectrum of Western, Popular and World Music traditions. Designed as a capstone course for music majors who have completed a full complement of musicology courses. Topics vary from term to term. Instructor consent is required for non-music majors.
  • MUSC 5012 - African Music
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2020 / Fall 2021
    Studies music cultures of Africa and the Black Diaspora, including folk and art music traditions, religious and popular music genres. Specific course topics could cover any or all of these styles, including exploring interconnections of musical stylistics of Africa and the Black Diaspora. Same as MUSC 4012 and MUEL 4012.
  • MUSC 5112 - Proseminar in Ethnomusicology
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2023
    Examines the definition, scope, and methods of ethnomusicology, the discipline that focuses on approaches to the study of music theory, history, and performance practices of world cultures.
  • MUSC 6822 - Advanced Studies in Musicology
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2018 / Spring 2021
    Intensive study of a specialized topic in musicology. Students will be guided in critical reading, historical or ethnographic issues, analysis, oral presentations, and independent research. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours.
  • MUSC 7822 - Seminar in Musicology
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2019 / Spring 2022 / Fall 2024
    Required of all musicology majors before completion of comprehensive examinations. A different research area is designated each semester. Offered fall only.

Background

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