Gospel Music in Modern America This course will track the evolution of religion and music in African American history across the twentieth century to the present day. Beginning with the emergence of the Gospel-Blues during the 1920s, we will explore the ways in cultural aesthetics, religious imaginings and institutional formations have come together to shape the development of black musical forms, sacred and secular alike, across the evolving genres of blues, jazz, r&b, hip hop, neo-soul and more.