The module is designed to introduce critical perspectives on current developments in popular music. Each week will introduce a particular genre or subgenre of contemporary popular music which will act as a way in to a discussion of a set of theoretical issues relating to culture, identity, aesthetics, technology and industry. Topics may include: Introduction to genres and classification, mainstreaming, R&B, UK dance and post-dub musics, New Folk and the legacy of authenticity, Post Rock, Noise music, DIY scenes and digital democratisation, new strains in electronic music, metal in the 21st Century.