MUL 121D - Diversity Through Music in Disney Films, 3 credit hours

This course examines representations of diversity—specifically, the topics of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and disability—through the lens of music in Disney and Disney/Pixar films. Although its early films featured racial caricatures and exclusively Caucasian heroines, Disney has, in recent years, become more multicultural in its filmic fare and its image. From Aladdin and Pocahontas to the first African American princess in the The Princess and the Frog and the depiction of Mexican culture, family, and borders in Coco, Disney films have come to both mirror and influence our increasingly diverse society. In Disney’s early films, music was often used to bolster common negative stereotypes, but music has increasingly become a significant tool in providing authenticity. Students will learn the basic terminology and techniques for examining music’s role in film; no prior musical training is required.