This course examines the sources and evolution of popular music in the last century, popular music as both an expression of and a creative force in popular culture, popular music as the rhythmic antithesis of repression, popular music as a commodity of mass production and mass culture, and the means by which the development and cultural importance of popular music can be evaluated. Content and method emphasize inquiry arising from America's religious influence on popular culture and the reciprocal influence of popular culture on the Church, to develop a reasoned Christian perspective about popular music.