MUSI 3510 Sound Justice - MUSI 3559 Narratives of Sound Justice -
MUSI 3510 Sound Justice - MUSI 3559 Narratives of Sound Justice -
This community engagement class explores connections between sound, listening, and the law. How do legal proceedings play out in sound? What does the law hear – and what does it not? How do artists and ordinary people use voice to respond to legal failures? In exploring these and other questions, student will directly engage with the Sound Justice Lab and its ongoing projects, relating to issues such as reproductive justice, defamation lawsuits against journalists, gender equity and refugees, and the use of rap lyrics as criminal evidence. Students will meet with lawyers, artists, and social justice practitioners in Charlottesville and beyond, and will have the opportunity to produce research and creative work. Course materials will include court cases and transcripts, music, film, novels, and academic articles. The class can be used to fulfill the music major requirements, but musical experience is not necessary.
Taught by Professor Bonnie Gordon & Professor Nomi Dave in Spring 2023
Taught by Professor Bonnie Gordon & Mary Garner McGehee in Spring 2024
Projects & Events
Student Zine
We define JUSTICE as the ethical idea that people are to be treated impartially, fairly, properly, and reasonably. In what ways have you seen justice being implemented in the community around you? In what ways have you experienced injustice manifest toward you? What types ofjustice do you wish to see more of in the current Charlottesville community and at UVa?
Our zine aims to share awareness and knowledge at UVa about personal experiences, perspectives, and initiatives in Charlottesville surrounding justice that may not be known to most.
Read the whole zine here!
Health Booklet for Local Afghan Refugees
by Paige Roeschenthaler B.S. Ed ‘24
Charlottesville Area Transportation Guide for Afghan Refugees
by Aayusha Khanal CLAS ‘24
Cville Tulips Knit Night
Spring 2023
After gathering all of the yarn and knitting materials from various knitting groups from Northern Virginia, the Sound Justice class became a test run for a Cville Tulips Knit Night. This event was co-hosted with Cville Tulips and Amnesty International, with the goal of creating a cathartic and warm space where folks could freely discuss ideas and readings over the soft click of needles and rustle of yarn. Volunteers learned basic knit stitches and shared the steps with knitters of all ages. In a reflection on the event, a student noted that “difficult conversations about social justice were made easier through art.”
After the event, with students spent six hours stitching all of the squares together. Each square and strip of knitting was unique even when knitters used the same colors. The end result was a beautiful tapestry, made by more than a dozen knitters in collaboration.
Banned Book Zines
Students in the Narratives of Sound Justice Class hosted a zine-making workshop on the Lawn to promote topics of banned books and reclaiming narratives. This event introduced many UVA students to zines while fostering a creative and fun community-building event. The zine-making workshop helped open a dialogue on the politics and ethics behind banning books while also encouraging responses in the form of creative resistance.
During the event, students emphasized the theme of banned books by promoting the Sound Justice Lab’s ongoing work and encouraging students to look through printed excerpts of banned books. Examples included The Hunger Games, Beloved, 1984, and The Catcher in the Rye. Student participants sections from these banned books excerpts into their zines in thoughtful and creative ways.
