Folk Music and Protest Thought

An exploration of leadership in the arts that will examine the subject from three perspectives. First, it will consider figures in traditional, old-time, and folk music whose contributions have been transformative. Second, consideration will be given to folk music as a variety of American political and social thought, as an expression of ideas about human nature and the politics of the day. Finally, there will be an evaluation of the persuasive power of song as a rhetorical means of spreading, and perhaps inculcating political and social ideas in the minds of the people.