MUSICAND CULTURALANALYSISIN THE CLASSROOM:

INTRODUCINGSOCIOLOGYTHROUGHHEAVYMETAL*
This article demonstrates that popular music's potential as a tool for teaching
interactive introductorysociology courses is enhanced when a culturalanalysis
of a specific music genre is incorporatedinto the classroom. Using this type of
analysis as an integrative course theme promotes active learning as students
apply sociological ideas to explain empiricalreality. Using heavy metal music as
an example, I present a two-part model for integrating a cultural analysis of
this music and its subculture into the introductory course. Students first
conduct a sociologically grounded culturalanalysis of heavy metal music. Then
they expand this analysis during the rest of the course by applying new
concepts, theories, and research to explain this cultural object sociologically.
The article's final section discusses the applicationof this model in a range of
class contexts and provides student responses to its use in an introductory
sociology course.

JARLA. AHLKVIST
Johnson State College
NUMEROUSAUTHORSHAVEcommented on the
use of culturalobjects to promote interactive
learning in sociology courses (Bonomo
1987; Burton 1988; Cosbey 1997; Groce
1992; Laz 1996; Metz 1983; Sullivan 1982;
Tolich 1992; Ziskind Berg 1992). Films,
novels, short stories, and television programs have proven useful for illustrating
sociological ideas and providing interesting
narrativesto which students can apply theories and concepts. When studentslearnsociology through music, songs and lyrics are
commonly confined to illustratingsociological concepts and theories. In the model
described in this article, music offers students the chance to harness concepts, theories, and research findings to analyze cultural objects, much like a cultural sociologist. They learn sociology through the process of explaining a culturalphenomenon.

Thisarticledescribeshow musiccan serve

as an object of cultural analysis in the
introductory sociology course. First, I review the advantages of an interactive approach to the introductorycourse and the use
of music as a teaching tool in this context,
suggesting that music can do much more
than illustrate concepts and theories. Using
the example of heavy metal, I argue that a
cultural analysis of one music genre provides an integrativecourse theme and fosters
active learning. Next, I describe how to
involve students in a cultural analysis of
heavy metal music and offer examples of
how instructors can help students to apply
sociological ideas to extend this analysis
throughoutthe course. Finally, I offer suggestions about how to apply this model in
diverse class contexts and discuss student
responses to my use of this approachwhen
teaching the introductorysociology course.

"*Iwouldlike to thankBrentBruton,Andrea
Perham,andthe anonymousreviewersfor their
MUSICAND ACTIVELEARNING
valuablecommentson earlierdraftsof this pato theauthor An Interactive
per. Pleaseaddresscorrespondence
Approach to Introductory
at theBehavioralSciencesDepartment,
McClellandHall, JohnsonStateCollege,Johnson,VT Sociology
A sustained critique of the conventional,
05656;e-mail:ahlkvisj@badger.jsc.vsc.edu
lecture-based
survey course in introductory
Editor'snote:The reviewerswere Betsy Lusociology emerged in the 1980s. Lenski
cal, TheresaMartinez,andJimRothenberg.
TeachingSociology,Vol. 27, 1999(April:126-144)

126

MUSICAND CULTURALANALYSIS

127

of theinstructor.
Instead
of mem(1983) and McGee, Vaughan, and Baker theguidance
and
mesmerized
a
set of
the
orizing,
that
being
by,
(1985) argued
typical introductory
learns
facts,thestudent
coursewas seriouslymisguidedanda major oftenlooselyconnected
a
of
way thinking,
askingquestions,
searching
to the discipline'sdecliningpopcontributor
foranswers,
andinterpreting
observations.
(P.
students
and
its
ularityamong
negativepub45)
lic image. Teachersof introductory
courses
werecriticizedfor failingto makesociology
A pivotalelementin activelearningis the
relevantfor their diverse audience,for the
for studentsto applysociologiopportunity
shallow"encyclopedic
quality"of the survey cal ideas to the explanationof empirical
course, and for their reliance on passive
realityandsocialissuesthatfacethem(Hale
learningmethods.Proponentsof interactive 1995; Lenski 1983; McGee et al. 1985;
approachesto teaching the introductory Wilson and Reiser 1982). Referencesto
course advocate depth over breadth, the
sociologyas a "tool"are ubiquitousin this
developmentof unifying themes, and a literature,highlightingthe belief that the
greatercommitmentto studentinvolvement goalof the introductory
courseshouldbe "to
andactivelearning.Ratherthanapproaching assiststudentsin
a small,but wellbuilding
the introductory
courseas an overviewof an
tool-kit with which they can beequipped
academic discipline (the graduate school come familiar
enoughto applythe concepts
model),Sundgren(1994) suggeststhatintro- to analyticalproblems"(Mayer 1986:252).
ductorysociologyinstructorscan best serve Othersnote the importanceof encouraging
the importanceof
studentsby "emphasizing
introductorystudents to think critically
sociologicalknowledgeas a tool for survival (Shepelak,Curry-Jackson,
andMoore1992)
in a complexworld, andteachingthesocio- and
the
sociological imagination
practice
logical perspectivein a way that will en- (Brouillette and Turner 1992; Mathisen
hanceour students'educationandtheirabil1989; O'Flaherty 1992). Interactiveapity to thinkcriticallyaboutwhat they read proaches to teaching sociology promote
andsee" (p. 348). Othersadvocateorganiz- these
1992; Smith 1996),
course aroundaninte- and I goals (Hilligoss
ing the introductory
to
that a cultural
demonstrate
hope
grativethemethatprovidesa coherentstruc- analysisof musicis a usefulway to achieve
ture, narrowingthe range of conceptual them.
tools employedand focusingon a few centralissues. Barger(1987) describesthe way
UsingMusicin SociologyCourses
can be used as a unifying A
"modernization"
inhandfulof articlesdiscuss
themethathelps "tietogetherwhatit is that structors'use of music and sociology
to
illuslyrics
sociologyseeks to do" (p. 88). Meanwhile, trate concepts and theories. Walczakand
McGeeet al. (1985) discusshow "thecor- Reuter
(1994) describethe ways musicaids
poraterealitiesof everydaylife" and"social in the teachingof introductorysociology,
awareness"can be used as themesrelevant while Theresa
addressesapplicaM1artinez
to students.Othersociologistsbelieve that tions for courses
in theory(BurnsandMarnarrowingcoursecontentarounda themeis tinez 1993), deviance (1995), and race,
vitalfor thepromotionof criticalthinkingas
class, and gender (1994). In addition,the
a coursegoal (Mayer1986). Manysociolo- contributors
to Reuterand Walczak'sSonggists hail active learning as essential for ware II: Using Popular Music in Teaching
the introductory
course.Hamtransforming
Sociology (1993) describe techniquesfor
lin and Janssen (1987) describe active learning below:

using music to illustrate concepts and theories across a wide range of sociological
sub-disciplines. Following Elterman(1983),
Ratherthanthe teacherpresentingfactsto the
conventional approach has been to use
the
students,the studentsplay an active role in
of songs played during class to foster
lyrics
learningby exploringissues and ideas under
informal discussion and underscorethe rele-

128

TEACHINGSOCIOLOGY

vance of sociologicalinsights.Those using technique.It allowsmusicto be used as an

music in their teachingbelieve that this integrativethemefor the courseand makes
illustrativeapproachis quite successful. music an integral, ratherthan peripheral,
Martinez(1994, 1995) reportsthather use partof the learningexperience.Focusingon
of popularmusic helps to facilitateclass one musicgenreallowsthe class to systemdiscussion,createsa uniquelearningenvi- aticallyapplytheirexpandingstockof socioand encouragesstudentsto ques- logical knowledgeto understanding
cultural
ronment,O
tiontheir"commonsense"assumptions.
objects sociologically.Using music as the
Studentsin Walczakand Reuter's(1994) objectof a culturalanalysis,ratherthanas
course respondedpositivelyto an illustrativetool, minimizesthedifficulties
introductory
the illustrativeuses of song lyrics. Mar- associated with the latter approach.Altinez's (1995) comparisonof departmental thoughthe instructorselectsthe musicgenre
teachingevaluationssuggests that students for the classto analyze,studentshavesignifenjoyed her use of music to foster class icantlatitudein directingthe culturalanalydiscussion.As a techniquefor encouraging sis, shieldinginstructorsfromcomplaintsof
studentinvolvementand interest in class biasedor limitedmusicalchoices.Theanadiscussion,the illustrativeuse of popular lyticalapproachalsoextendsthe pedagogical
music remains a strong pedagogicalap- value of using music in the classroombeproach.However,its limitationsshouldalso yond a relianceon song lyrics by allowing
be noted. Althoughstudentsmakethe links studentsto view musicthroughmultidimenbetween song lyrics and sociologicalcon- sional culturalobjects producedand concepts and theories,if the instructorselects sumed by people embeddedin particular
the songs for specific illustrativepurposes, culturalandsocialcontexts.Finally,the use
studentscan view the music selection as of written assignmentsand small-group
biased (Martinez 1994) and narrow workhelpsto integratemusicintothestruc(Walczakand Reuter 1994). More gener- tureof the course.
"Life,death,sex...Beer,maybe"(Spheerally, this approachdepends largely on a
considerationof song lyrics, leaving the is 1989).Withthesewords,DaveMustaine,
audio-visualand subculturaldimensionsof leaderof the heavy metalbandMegadeath,
the culturalobjects unexplored(Walczak sums up the essenceof a loud, aggressive,
and Reuter 1994). Finally, as Martinez politicallyincorrectmusic that epitomizes
(1995) suggests,the use of music in sociol- low culture for many Americans.While
ogy classeswouldbenefitfromgreaterinte- hardlyuniqueto heavymetal,theseenduring
andthe "proudpariah"stagration with other learning experiences, preoccupations,
such as groupassignmentsand analysis/re- tus of its fans, make this music an ideal
actionpapers.
culturalphenomenon
for introductory
sociolRatherthanjust using songs to illustrate ogy studentsto analyze.I use heavy metal
sociologicalconceptsandtheories,I propose music because of the prevailingnegative
an approachwherebystudentslearnsociol- stereotypesabout its fans and performers,
ogy as an analyticaltool. In the illustrative andbecauseit is oftenoutrageousandshockapproach,the music itself, as a cultural ing--guaranteedto evoke strong (usually
object, is not of centralconcernonce stu- negative)feelings and high studentinterest
dentshave graspedthe conceptor theoryit and involvementfrom the outset. Another
illustrates.In contrast, an analyticalap- usefulcharacteristic
of this musicfor pedaproach makes the music an object of sociological inquiry, giving students practice in
using theoretical, conceptual, and empirical
tools to make sociological sense of it. This
approach offers students a more activelearning experience than the illustrative

gogical purposes is its longevity: heavy

metal music spans 30 years and has met with
considerable commercial success, maximizing the likelihood that students have been
exposed to it. Students can examine heavy
metal as a music-based subculture. It con-

MUSIC AND CULTURAL ANALYSIS

129

tainsdistinctsymbolicboundariesandmusi- 75-minuteclassmeetings.The culturalanalcal conventionsthatnovice cultureanalysts ysis of heavymetalis basedon a conceptual

frameworkthat Griswold(1994) describes
caneasilygrasp.
as a "culturaldiamond."Representingthe
ANALYZINGHEAVYMETALMUSIC culturalobject, social world, creator, and
receiveras the four cornersof a diamond,
SOCIOLOGY
IN INTRODUCTORY
and tracing the six links between them,
Course Organization: Heavy Metal as an providesan heuristicdiagramfor introducing the essentialquestionssociologistsask
Integrative Theme
when
a
of
of
advocates
the
studyingculture. Drawingon other
Following suggestions
and methodologicalframeworks
I
theoretical
moreinteractiveintroductory
course, organize my introductionto sociology class for culturalanalysis(Gottdiener1985;Grisaroundheavymetalas an integrativetheme, wold 1987; Johnson1986), I alert students
depthoverbreadthandpromot- to the sociologicalnatureof culturalobjects
emphasizing
ing active learning.The Appendixoutlines andchallengethemto considerheavymetal
the topicsand readingstypicallycoveredin as theoutcomeof people'sactionin concrete
the course. Insteadof a conventionaltext- social circumstances,ratherthan of some
book, I use shortmonographs,like Charles inevitableprocessof culturalevolution.SwiLemert'sSocial Things(1997), to introduce dler's (1986) metaphorof cultureas a "tool
the practicalrelevanceof sociologicalthink- kit" is also valuable for explaininghow
ing and selected articles from a reader peopleuse culturalobjectsas resourcesfor
(Ferguson 1996) to provide examples of developing "strategiesof action" and for
professional sociological scholarship. As highlightingthe dynamic relationsamong
shown in the Appendix,the course begins individuals,society, materialculture, and
culture.
to the sociologicalper- non-material
with an introduction
paradigm At the outset of the culturalanalysisof
spectivethroughthe interactionist
that culminatesin the analysis of heavy heavymetalmusic,I involvethe studentsby
metal music. In the second part of the askingthemto examinethe visual imagery
course,I addresssociologicaltheory,apply- foundon heavymetalalbumcoversandCD
ing Marxand Durkheim'sideasaboutmod- sleeves.Smallgroupsof studentscollaborate
ern society to heavy metal. In the final to find key visualsymbolsamongthemateportionof the course, I refine previously rialsthatI handout in class.' I give students
coveredideasin the contextof severalpress- 15 minutesto familiarizethemselveswith
stratifica- these materials,and each groupmustidening social issues: rationalization,
tion, gender,andrace. Afterits initialintro- tify at least five highly redundantsymbolic
ductionas the objectof culturalanalysis,I elements--typicallyconsistingof the color
use heavy metalas a recurringcase study, black, religious symbols, evil-lookingfigwhich providescontinuityand regularopcomefrommy owncollec'Thesematerials
portunitiesfor studentsto expandtheiranalmusiclibrary.
this
music
radio
station's
of
and
the
tion
theories,
using concepts,
college
ysis
of olderheavymetalLPs
collection
andresearchthatthe courseintroducesdur- Anadequate
fromused
canbe compiled
quiteinexpensively
ing the semester.
recordstores.TheseLPshavetheaddedbenefit
thanCDsor casof providing
largergraphics
A CulturalAnalysis of Heavy Metal
are less
settes.Whilemorerecentrecordings
After several weeks discussing the sociologion vinyl,thevastquantity
likelyto be available
cal imaginationand its application by inter- of heavymetalmusicreleased
duringthe 1980s
actionist sociologists like Erving Goffman, I and early 1990sand the recentcommercial
theavaillead students through the basic steps of a slumpin heavymetalmusicguarantee
at reasonable
cultural analysis. This analysis proceeds in abilityof usedCDsandcassettes
three phases and requires approximatelytwo prices.

130

TEACHINGSOCIOLOGY

ures, skulls,scantilycladwomen,longhair,
and so on. The hands-onaspectof this first
phaseallows studentsto set the agendafor
subsequentanalysisso thattheir immediate
concernsand questionscan be addressed.
Althoughthe manifestpurposeof this phase
of the analysisis to introducestudentsto a
dimensionof heavymetalmusicthatwe will
subsequentlyseek to explainsociologically,
workingin small groups, studentshave a
chanceto expresstheir(usuallystrong)opinions aboutthismusic.In addition,thosewho
are more familiarwith it can share their
insightsandexperiences.
The secondphaseof the culturalanalysis
is designed to demonstratethat "cultural
objectsand the people who create andreceive them are not floatingfreely, but are
anchoredin a particular[social] context"
(Griswold1994:14). Througha discussionbasedlecture,I mapout the music'shistorical and social development,playing brief
tapedexcerpts(abouttwo minutes)of representativesongs to illustrateheavy metal's
musicalconventionsand lyricalthemes.Incorporatingscholarlywork on heavy metal
music (Breen 1991; Harrell 1994; Straw
1990;Walser1993;Weinstein1991), I draw
a fundamental
distinctionbetweenphysical
andpsycho-socialheavymetalmusic, and I
describeboth"classic"andsubsequent
variants of each type. Throughoutthis second
phase, I emphasizethatpower is the defining conceptin heavy metal. Physicalmetal
emphasizesmasculine strength, prowess,
potency,and toughness,while the psychosocial themesaddressthe abuse of power,
the potentiallyliberatingpowerof the "dark
side," and heavy metal as an empowering
antidoteto the psychologicalstrainsof modern life. Beginningwith the physicaldimension, we listen to the music of such metal
progenitorsas Led Zeppelin (1969) and
early "cock rock" bandslike Deep Purple

vari1980s. To introducethe psycho-social

ant,I playexcerptsfromsongsby bandslike
Motorhead(1979), IronMaiden(1982), and
Black Sabbath(1970), which illustratethis
brandof classic heavy metal. Meanwhile,
the musicof speed, thrash,anddeathmetal
bandslike Megadeath
(1994), Slayer(1994),
and Necrosanct(1992) illustratethe darker
vision of metal in the 1990s. This second
phase of the culturalanalysisdemonstrates
that heavy metal is, as Walser(1993) argues, a discoursein whichvisual,sonic, and
lyricaldimensionswork togetherto "speak
to" fansof this music, while simultaneously
expressingtheir lived experiences,fears,
hopes, and dreams.I roundout our initial
informationsession by showingclips from
the documentary
film TheDeclineof Western Civilization II: The Metal Years
(Spheeris1989), which chroniclesLos Angeles' heavy metal scene and the state of
heavy metal at its commercialpeak in the
United States. I use some of the film's
interviewswith fans and artists,along with
the Megadeathsegmentthatendsthe film, to
shed additionallight on heavy metal'sdiscourseandthe socialbackground
of fansand
performers.
The in-classdiscussionof heavy metalis
supplementedby informationthat students
have foundon the Internet.I ask studentsto
exploreWebsitesfor a specificheavymetal
artistand to summarizetheir findingsin a
shortpaper.Theymustincludeprint-outsof
the relevantmaterialthey uncovered.This
for
assignmentprovidesanotheropportunity
studentsto haveinputintothe culturalanalysis and producesrich informationthatthey
can sharein class as discussionsensueabout
the sociologicallyimportantlink between
culturalobjectsandthe socialworld.Particularly interestingand useful are the commentsfromheavymetalfansregardingtheir
favoriteartistsandthe artists'reflectionson

(1972) and UFO (1979). I contrast classic

metal, with its British working-class roots
and blue-collar sentiments, with the "lite
metal" of Extreme (1989), Scorpions
(1984), and Ratt (1991), who softened the
metal sound and broadened its appeal in the

their music. This information provides insight into the range of meanings circulating
in the heavy metal discourse and provides
additional information on the social backgrounds of the music's creators and receivers. In addition, studentsget a sense that

131

MUSICAND CULTURALANALYSIS
they are unearthingnew information(I describe it as qualitativedata) and makinga
uniquecontributionto the class's collective
excavationof heavymetal.By the end of the
second phase of the culturalanalysis,students have an awarenessof the social and
behindthe particuhistoricalcircumstances
larsub-typesof heavymetal.Theyalso have
of whatthis
a moreinformedunderstanding
music means to artists and fans. At this
point, the class is ready to apply their
knowledgeof heavy metalto a sociological
explanationof the visualsymbolstheyidentifiedat the outset.
In the finalphaseof culturalanalysis,the
class focuses on the fans of heavy metal
musicin an effortto tracethe socialcontexts
within which the fans receive this music.
SimplifyingGriswold's(1987)methodological framework,I ask studentsto developa
sociological "profile" of an "ideal-type"
heavymetalfan. Studentsdrawon theinformationgatheredfrom our class discussion
andtheirInternetsearchin orderto develop
a compositethat will help us explain the
significanceof the centralvisualsymbolsin
heavymetal.Studentsarechargedwith individuallydevelopinga fan profile using the
formatshownin Figure1. Eachof the four
dimensionsin this tablecorrespondsto one
of the phasesof "explanation"
that,according to Griswold,mustbe takeninto account
by the culturalanalyst(p. 26). The outcome
of a completedtableis, in Griswold'sterms,

a "reconstructionof intentionality"or a
"brief"for a given socialactor,in this case,
the heavymetalfan. This finalphaseof the
culturalanalysisprovidesstudentswith the
experienceof takingthe same stepsas professionalsociologistswho studyculture.
The culturalanalysisconcludesas students
test the explanatorypower of theirprofiles
by returningto the core visualsymbolsthey
identifiedearlier. Now they must try to
determinethe significanceof heavy metal's
visual symbolsfor fans of this music. Returningto theirsmall groups,studentstake
on the challengeof explainingthe use of one
redundantvisual symbolto the rest of the
class by sharingtheirindividualfan profiles
and using them to determinethe symbol's
likely relevancewithin heavy metal'scosmology. This discussionclarifies the connectionsbetweenthe visual symbols, sonic
conventions,and lyrical themes and fans'
"horizon of expectations" (Griswold
1994:83-85), promoting a sociologically
groundedexplanationof this music. Once
betweentheir
they see the correspondence
"ideal-type"heavymetalfan andthe music
as a culturalobject, studentsrealize that
cultureis like a tool kit, a resourcefrom
which people choose the "toolsfor living"
that help them make sense of their social
experience.
Throughthe initialimmersionin cultural
analysis,studentslearnthatheavy metalis
more than the mindless music of

Figure1. SociologicalProfileof a HeavyMetalFan

Demographic
Categoriesa
Gender:
Sexual Orientation:
Race:
Age:
Education:
Occupation:
Other:

SocialGroupsb

LocalSensibilityc Social/Cultural
Experienced
Economic Standing:
Political Power:
CulturalStatus:
Time/Place:
Other:

"aDemographic
Categories:What is the basic social location of the "ideal-type"heavy metal fan?
bSocialGroups:With what human groups, organizations,and associationsis the heavy metal fan likely
to be involved?
"cLocalSensibility: To what kinds of values, beliefs, ideals, and folkways is the heavy metal fan
committed?
dSocial/CulturalExperience:At a more general level, where does the heavy metal fan "fit"into society
at large?

132

TEACHINGSOCIOLOGY

"disaffectedlosers"(a commonresponsein providesopportunitiesfor active learning.

phaseone). Rather,theybeginto understand Each application,highlightedin the Aptoparticu- pendix,uses heavymetalas a case studyto
thismusicas a culturaladaptation
lar social circumstances,a point driven whichstudentscan applyconcepts,theories,
home in Gaines' (1991) ethnographicac- and research.In each case, playingaddicountof the lives of the heavy metal-loving tional song excerptsand examininglyrics
of Bergenfield,New Jersey(see (passedout in class)andvisuals(CD sleeves
"burnouts"
section
I). As one studentcom- and album covers) stimulateclass discusAppendix,
materialgatheredby
mentedin her writeup on IronMaidenWeb sion. I also incorporate
Internet
in
students
their
sites:
assignmentanduse
written
and
assignmentsto
video footage
thatheavymetalmusichad keep them actively involved in expanding
I alwaysassumed
no realvalueandwas only for peoplewho the aforementioned
culturalanalysis.Each
outof highschoolandhadnoambition time studentsreturnto the analysisof heavy
dropped
to thoseclipsyou
to succeedin life. Listening
is to advancetheirunderthe
to rethinkmy metal, of goal metal'sform and content
made
me
start
in
class
played
andvisitingthe websitesonlyrein- standing heavy
attitude,
as a culturalobjectby examiningthe links
forcedthatchange.
between the four corners of the cultural
Once studentscome to appreciateheavy diamondfromdifferenttheoretical,concepmetal'sculturalsignificanceas "something tual, and empiricalangles. In the process,
of thethat tells you where you came from and studentsgain a deeperunderstanding
whereyou'regoing; a force thatnourishes, ories, concepts,and researchbecausethey
must applythemto heavy metalmusic and
heals, impartslife-wisdom,enrichesone's
innerlife, sensitizesthe humanspirit, and can considertheirutilityfor themselves.
Theoretical headbanging: Marx and
generallymakes life habitable"(Reynolds
takeon heavymetal.WouldKarl
Durkheim
1997:109),theyarereadyto applysociologand
Emile Durkheimhave been fans
Marx
ical ideasto expandthis culturalanalysisin
music? When introducing
metal
of
heavy
newdirections.Whilethe culturalanalysisis
in
the introductory
classical
course,I
theory
pivotalto the course, studentsmustunderthe
of
historical
a
sense
students
to
try
give
standthatthis approachis neitherrepresentraditativeof sociologyas a discipline,nor is it rootsof the MarxistandDurkheimian
relecontinued
the
demonstrate
and
tions
the only way thatsociologistsstudyculture.
of
heart
lies
the
at
that
of
a
vance
concept
Organizingthe class aroundtopicsandreadIn
the
anomie.
and
alienation
each
theory:
ings thatrepresentsociology'smethodologiI linka discussionof students'
cal, theoretical,and topical diversity and caseof Marx,
own
alienatingwork experiencesto expresintegratingdiscussionsand illustrationsof
foundin heavy
of angerandfrustration
sions
otherways to studyculture-such as semiIn
much
metal
music.
heavy
psycho-social
otics, ritualanalysis,ethnography,
andorgaatthe
directed
is
often
this
metal
music,
rage
nizationalstudies-ensuresthatstudentsare
are
and
whose
hypocrisy
greed
introducedto the discipline and able to powerful,
these
Sometimes
for
social
blamed
injustice.
thistypeof culturalanalysis.
appreciate
critiquesareaimedsquarelyat capitalism,as
in Queensryche's"Spreadingthe Disease"
Expandingthe CulturalAnalysisof Heavy
(1988):
Metal:ApplyingSociologicalIdeas
The culturalanalysis described above serves
as a foundation for subsequent integrations
of heavy metal during the remainder of the
course. This section offers some examples
of how the cultural analysis of heavy metal
music serves as a unifying course theme and

Religionandsex arepowerplays
thepeoplefor themoneytheypay
Manipulate
Sellingskin,sellingGod
The numberslook the same on their credit
cards
Politicianssay no to drugs

MUSICAND CULTURALANALYSIS
Whilewe payfor warsin SouthAmerica
Fightingfire withemptywords
Whilethebanksget fat
Andthepoorstaypoor
Andtherichget rich
Andthecopsget paidto lookaway
As theone percentrulesAmerica

133

to be the sign of the devil), and swaying

together in unison. In light of the subsequent
structural breakdown in Russia and ethnic
conflicts springing up across the former
Soviet Union, heavy metal in this context
offers a particularly salient case study for
discussing Durkheim's concern with conFaith No More's "War Pigs" (1989) and taining anomie and reinforcing social bonds
in modern societies. For students learning
Rage Against the Machine's leftist melding
of metal and rap (1992, 1996) also take aim about sociological theory for the first time,
at the same targets as Marx (the inside cover the opportunityto apply these new ideas to
of their Evil Empire album even features a understandan increasingly familiar cultural
makes Marx and Durkheim'sanalyses
collage of leftist tomes). The subsequent object
of
more relevant and prepares
modernity
discussion centers on the degree to which
them
to
each tradition'slegacy in
appreciate
such social criticism parallels that of Marx
contemporary
sociological
scholarship.
and whether this music has the potential to
Cultural
inversions
of
power
by thepowcombat false consciousness. Reconsidering
erless.
with
each
stratification,
Beginning
heavy metal in light of Marx's theory helps
in
the
final
section
of
the
course
topic
students question heavy metal's unrelenting
includes an application of theory, concepts,
cynicism and fatalism. It also helps students
and research to heavy metal music. I focus
explore the reasons that these themes resonate with people who feel acutely alienated my coverage of stratification,on poverty,
and drawn to music that rages against the using ethnographic studies by Anderson
(1990), Duneier (1992), and McLeod
"powersthat be."
I begin the discussion of Durkheim by (1987), to help students see how structural
economic deprivation affects individuals at
asking students whether heavy metal might
the level of habitus. In different ways, each
serve to guard against anomie in modem
of these studies shows how people cope with
society. Songs like AC/DC's "For Those
or
resist class (and race) discrimination
About to Rock" (1981), Saxon's "Rockin'
deviant strategies based on inverAgain" (1985), and Judas Priest's "United" through
sions
of
the dominant culture: McLeod's
(1980) can serve as examples of the way
turn to drugs and crime;
heavy metal music evokes feelings of be- "HallwayHangers"
the
African
Americans studied by
inner-city
longing and sharedcommitmentto the music
Anderson
learn
the
often
violent, "code of
and its performers. Heavy metal concerts
the
and
the
streets;"
"sitting buddies" obfurther emphasize this collective feeling,
served
Duneier
carve
out a culture of
by
described by Weinstein (1991) as
in
mutual
the
midst of this street
respect
community-building rituals. A series of
culture. Heavy metal music, as a cultural
in
metal
concerts
held
the
former
heavy
Soviet Union in the early 1990s provides a resource of the relatively powerless, also
features symbolic inversions, particularlyof
particularlyvivid case of this unifying function. A clip of AC/DC performing "For the sources of power. Discussing death
Those About to Rock" (Isham 1991) at a metal, Harrell (1994) explains:
huge outdoor concert in Moscow makes a
Poweris afterall largelya matterof positionpoignant point about the bond that unites
ing. And the way thatrockmusicin general,
heavy metal fans and performers. During
anddeathmetalin particular,
placesthegroup,
this clip, the camera pans the jubilant audithe fan, and the ideologyin oppositionto the
ence who celebrates its newfound cultural
entrenched
valuesof society...servesto elevate
freedom, embodied in heavy metal music,
the metalheadto a positionof moralsuperiorby singing along, pumping fists in the air,
symbols,attitudes,andterms
ity....Embracing
that many traditionallyregardto be "of the
giving the metal salute (considered by some

134

TEACHINGSOCIOLOGY

powersof evil" is also an empoweringtech- songs by death metal bands such as Brutal
niquesinceit revolvesaroundboldexploration Truth's "Regression/Progression" (1992)
ratherthanfearof culturalevils.(P. 101)
and "PlanetGraveyard"by Deceased (1992)
dwell on the environmental, social, and
Heavy metal's fixation on evil can be under- psychological devastation wrought by
stood as a condemnation of legitimate
modernity, while Metallica's ironicallytitled
sources of power that may oppress and "...and Justice for All"
(1988) describes the
alienate heavy metal fans. Given heavy irrationalside of formal
rationality:
metal's popularity among less affluent
youth, the dark side of heavy metal can now
Justiceis lost,justiceis raped,justiceis gone
be explored as a way for the disaffected to
Pullingyourstrings,justiceis done
strike out against society by symbolically
Seekingno truth,winningis all
Findit so grim,so true,so real
inverting what the mainstreamholds sacred,
Lady
justicehasbeenraped-Truthassassin
a process described by Weinstein (1991) as
Rolls
of redtapesealyourlips
"transvaluation"(p. 262). Listening to songs
Now
donein
you're
like AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" (1979),
Slayer's "Hell Awaits" (1985), or Judas
Weber's metaphorof the iron cage is also
Priest's "Touchof Evil" (1990) andreexamin the common heavy metal theme
reflected
ining the visual representations of evil in
of
the
rebellious
individual'sstruggle against
heavy metal, with an understandingof the
a
social
order, such as those
repressive
effects of powerlessness and economic deon
albums like Queendepicted
concept
privation on people's lived experience, is a
Mindcrime
(1988) and
sryche's
Operation
powerful catalyst for discussing the ways
2112
Rush's
and
Weber's
(1976).
Applying
structural inequality shapes heavy metal's
Ritzer's
theories
to
metal
reveals
an
heavy
discourse and the cultural tool kits available
side
of
metal's
important
heavy
sociological
to lower-income people.
discourse, which questions the supremacyof
Heavymetal and the iron cage of ratio- industrial
society and exposes the dark side
nality. Heavy metal's inversion of good and
of
The parallels between the
modernity.
evil parallels the music's criticism of the
ideas
of
social
theorists and heavy metal
institutionsof modern society. Many heavy
artists
students
understand that heavy
help
metal artists express the pessimistic view
not
metal
is
"mindless
rebellion" or
just
that society is out of control and that the
music
for
"troubled
and
that the form
kids,"
inherent logic of "the system" threatens
and
content
this
of
music
require
sociologiindividualfreedom. To highlight this dimencal
explanations.
sion, I ask studentsto apply Weber's analyHot chicks, baby girls, and she-devils:
sis of rationalization and Ritzer's (1996)
Sex, genderroles, and heavymetal.Depiccritique of "McDonaldization"to the music.
tions
of women in heavy metal music are
The graphics on many heavy metal albums
almost
universally sexist and in some cases
represent the tension between technorationalmodernityand humanity. For exam- misogynous. Women are representedas onedimensional sex objects, the embodimentof
ple, the artworkon UFO's Obsession (1978)
album vividly contrasts individuality and evil, or childlike virgins. To broach the
I ask students to
bureaucraticconformity, while Sepultura's topic of gender roles,
for heavy metal's
consider
reasons
possible
Chaos A.D. album (1993) depicts a descent
of women.
generally
derogatory
depiction
into a mechanical/organichell. The blurring
some
students
male) for(usually
Typically,
of nature and technology is depicted on the
mulate a defense of the music on the
cover of Judas Priest's Painkiller (1990),
while the faceless dwellers of a bleak grounds that it reflects either natural or
social differences between the sexes, or it is
metropolis are featured on Sacred Reich's
"harmless entertainment," while others
Independent album (1993). In addition,
(usually female) condemn this aspect of the

MUSICANDCULTURAL
ANALYSIS

135

music as degradingand stereotypical.This

spirited discussion leads to the two-part
question:Howandwhy arewomenandmen
socially differentiatedin our society, and
how mighta culturalobjectlike heavymetal
musicprovidea culturalresourcefor learning and practicinggenderroles? Examples
of heavy metal's constructionof sexuality
and gender roles can help studentsthink
of differentialmale
aboutthe "functionality"
and femalegendersocializationundercurrentsocialandeconomicconditions.
Useful songs for this topic includeGuns
N' Roses' "SweetChild O' Mine"(1987),
wherethe womanin questionis a virginal,
childlike being and W.A.S.P.'s "Ballcrusher"(1985), which depicts women as
emasculatingnymphomaniacs.Sexualityis
similarlysimplifiedandequatedwithmales'
physical dominationand objectificationof
women, as in AC/DC's "Let Me Put My
Love Into You" (1980), or Motley Crue's
"She Goes Down" (1989). Accordingto
Weinstein(1991), "Whatheavy metaltakes
seriouslyis power" (p. 35). The struggle
over the "secondshift" work in the dualincome families studied by Hochschild
(1989)exemplifiesa powerstrugglebetween
men and womenthathelps studentsunderstand why heavy metal music empowers
males at the expenseof women. Concepts
from Hochscild'sstudy, like "genderstratcanbe applied
egy" andpower"balancing,"
to heavy metalto help revealhow themuof womenandsexuality
sic's representations
relateto adolescentgendersocializationand
men'sresistanceto changinggenderrolesin
the faceof socio-economicrestructuring.
Menaceto society:Heavymetal,rap, and
race. An interestingrelationshipexists between heavy metal and rap music. Both
music genreshave a similarlylow cultural
status(Bryson1996)andare populartargets
of moral crusaders(Garofalo 1997), yet

differencedue largelyto racialstereotyping.

Instructorscan use this connectionto show
how race often overridesclass status.Accordingto FeaginandSikes(1994), middleclass AfricanAmericanscan not alwaysuse
their class to avoid racial discrimination,
while heavy metal'sracialassociationwith
whitenesselevates it above rap music in
mainstream
mediadiscourse.At thispoint,I
do not returnto heavymetalmusic. Rather,
I highlightsome of the similaritiesbetween
rap and heavy metal, focusingparticularly
on the marginalsociallocationof traditional
creatorsand receivers,recognizingthatthe
of both genres has incommercialization
volved a diversificationof artistsandaudience, andthe obsessionwithpower.Playing
excerptsof rap songs thatparallelsome of
the centralthemesin heavymetalis a useful
way to introducethisconnectionbetweenthe
two culturalobjects. Too Short's "I Ain't
Nothin' But a Dog" (1992) offers sexist
depictionsof women. "Amerikkka'sMost
Wanted"(1990) by "gangsterrapper"Ice
Cube illustratesrap'stransvaluation
of violence and justice, and Public Enemy's
"Fightthe Power"(1990)revealsrap'sradical critiqueof the whitepowerstructure.
The object in this final section of the
courseis notto embarkon an analysisof the
rap genre, but to show that similarsocial
forces are responsiblefor bothheavy metal
andrap,andthatbothcanbe conceptualized
andstudiedas typesof oppositionalorresistantculture.As Martinez(1997)asserts,rap
can be understoodas a "validand strident
form of oppositionalculturalexpression"
where "raplyrics narratea bitingdistrust,
disillusionment
with, and critiqueof major
societal institutionsand government"(p.
279). Indeed, heavy metal and rap allow
fans to symbolicallyexpress resistanceto
dominantcultural forms, ideologies, and
identities:a process wherebymarginalized

heavy metal is associated with whites and

rap with African Americans. According to
Binder's (1993) analysis of media depictions
of the two genres in the United States, rap
music is framed as a greater cultural threat
to mainstream society than heavy metal, a

people-such as the working-class, women,

and gay and lesbian youth---use music and
other signifying practices to make "noise"
(Hebdige 1979:133) that challenges society's
symbolic order (Fuchs 1998; Redhead 1997;
Wald 1998).

136

TEACHING SOCIOLOGY

modelfor instructors
interestedin usingthis
WrittenAssignments
In additionto the Web search described music in their teachingand for those who
earlier, I use two written assignmentsto wish to have studentsanalyzeother music
encouragestudentsto expandour collective genres.In this finalsection,I addressappliculturalanalysison theirown terms. First, cations of this model and discuss student
at the end of the theorysection,I introduce responsesto my use of musicanalysisin the
Robert Merton's functional approach classroom.
through an exercise described by Levin
(1994:94-97). After giving them time to Applications
of the culturalanalysis
practicethis approachin smallgroups,I ask The implementation
studentsindividuallyto conducta functional of musicraisesconcernsregardingtheapplianalysisof heavymetalmusic and writean cationof this modelandthe typesof classes
essay.Theymustdiscusswhetheror not this that would benefit from this technique.
musicis functionalfor our societyandvari- First, using the referencescited, especially
thatmighttakeits Weinstein's(1991) sociologicalsurvey,inous functionalalternatives
This
allows
studentsto structorscaneasilyacquaintthemselveswith
place.
assignment
createtheirown theories(they are typically the social and historical backgroundof
anxiousto do this) as they systematically heavy metal music in order to put audioconsiderthe interaction
of cultureandsocial visual examplesinto a sociologicalcontext
structures.Second,duringour discussionof for students.In fact, instructors
canuse their
I
ask
view
Dreamthe
students
to
relative
about
music itgenderroles,
ignorance
worlds2: Desire, Sex, and Powerin Music self---the expertiseof the dedicatedmetal
Video(Jhally1995)andto writea reflective fan is neither necessarynor desirableto
essayon theirownuse of musicas a cultural implementthis model--to encouragestutool for developinga repertoirefor "doing dentsto takethe lead in the actualanalysis,
gender"(WestandZimmerman1987). This while guiding studentstowardsociological
film examinesthe semioticsof music video explanationsof this music. However,a succhannels,arguingthatmusicvideospromote cessfulintegrationof the heavymetalanalya dangerouslynarrowrange of sexuality. sis into an introductory
coursedoes require
This topic has clear relevance given our a workingknowledgeof the music.Instrucclassdiscussionof heavymetal'srepresenta- tors need to be familiarenoughwith heavy
tions of women and sex. This effective metalto leadstudentanalyststowardtenable
assignmenthelps studentslook beyondtheir conclusions.They must convince students
commonsenseexplanations
for theirmusical that they are not ignorantof heavy metal
preferences.They often express consider- music. In short, the success of the heavy
able surprise, and sometimesembarrass- metalanalysisdependsas much on instrucment,whenthey reflecton music'spossible tors' opennessto an interactiveclassroom
influenceon reinforcinggender strategies environmentand their ability to make the
thatcontradicttheirespousedgenderideolo- sociologicalimaginationreal to students,as
on theirexpertiseregardingthe music.
gies (see Hochschild1989).
Instructors
who areunwillingor unableto
USINGA CULTURALANALYSISOF
integratea heavy metal analysisinto their
MUSICTO TEACHSOCIOLOGY
coursesto the degreedescribed
introductory
above might consider implementing a
Using heavy metal as an example, I have
shown how music can demonstratecultural
analysis and be used as a case study for
applying sociological ideas. In detailing how
I integratea culturalanalysis of heavy metal
music into my introductoryclass, I offer a

scaled-down version of the model. These

instructorscould reduce the number of corners and links in the cultural diamondstudied in the initial cultural analysis. For instance, this analysis could be confined to
textual analysis, exploration of the fan sub-

MUSICAND CULTURALANALYSIS

137

culture, or considerationof heavy metal's tory class, a culturalanalysisof music is

historicaldevelopment.A second approach appropriatefor larger classes. In large
would involve reducingthe numberof sub- classes, song excerptscan still be played
sequentapplicationsof the culturalanalysis, duringclass, but visualimagesmay need to
such as using it only to introducethe major be projectedusing slides or computerpresociologicalparadigms.While the former sentationsoftware.Studentsin largerclasses
approachallowsfor significantreductionof may also benefitfromgreateruse of written
the culturalanalysis,it reproducestheprob- assignmentsandlisteningsessionsoutsideof
lems inherentin one-dimensionalcultural class (recordingsplacedon libraryreserve).
analyses (see Gottdiener1985; Griswold This will help to keep themengagedin the
1987). The latterapproachretainsthecom- culturalanalysis,since, withoutdiscussion
in collaborative
analypleteculturalanalysis,butcurtailsthesubse- sections,participation
quentapplicationand elaboration,reducing sis maybe limited.
the scopeof ideasmarshaledto makesocioOthertopics commonlycoveredin introductorycoursescan also be used to explain
logicalsenseof heavymetal.
Instructorswho seek to integratemusic heavymetal.Forexample,the application
of
intotheirclasses,butprefernot to use heavy key sociologicalideas to differentdimenmetal, can adapt the culturalanalysis to sions of societycan be exploredthroughthe
othermusicgenres,particularlythoseasso- heavymetalanalysis.A sectionon deviance
ciatedwithcontemporary
youthsubcultures. mightapplyBecker's(1963) workon moral
Whilethey may lack some of thepedagogi- entrepreneurs
to understanding
how heavy
cal advantagesof heavy metal, genres like metalbecamethe targetof a symboliccrurap,punk,techno,andvarioustypesof rock sade by the ParentsMusicResourceCenter
musiccertainlyprovidevivid commentaries (P.M.R.C.) and conservative religious
on the dimensionsof (post)modernlife that groups duringthe 1980s. Coverageof the
couldincludeanexaminaintroductory classes commonly cover. political-economy
Thanksto a growinginterdisciplinary
litera- tion of heavy metal's discourseon power
tureon popularmusic,anda proliferation
of using insightsfrom class-, state-, andelitemusicWeb sites on the Internet,instructors orientedapproaches.It might also include
can easilylearnenoughabouta musicgenre comparisons
of the pluralto representations
to allow them to assemblethe music and ist perspectiveon power, politics, andinvisualmaterialsneededto conducta cultural equalityfoundin mainstream
pop andcounin
oriented
metal
could help
class.
music.
Sociologically
try
Finally,heavy
analysis
books have been writtenon music ranging introducesociologicalwork on family and
fromrap(Kelley1994;Rose 1994)andpunk religionby askingstudentsto considerthe
(Laing 1985; Savage 1992) to progressive widerimplicationsof socialrituals.Building
(Macan1997) and alternative(Felder 1993) on Levy's (1992) techniquefor teaching
rock, and techno/rave music (Thornton aboutfamilyrituals,studentscouldexamine
1996). Since the proposedmodel forteach- the concerthall alongsidethe dinnertableor
ing sociologythrougha culturalanalysisof churchas a site of ritualperformance.
While introductorysociology lends itself
popularmusic relies heavily on studentininstructors
should
convolvement,
carefully
especiallywell to the integrationof a music
sidertheirchoice of music genre to ensure analysis,this approachcould be appliedin
courses on social theory, social problems,
students'interest.
A second issue concerns the applicationof
the culturalanalysis model to differentintroductory class formats and other sociology
courses, and how studentcomposition might
effect its implementation. Although I typically have 20 to 30 students in an introduc-

and race, class, and gender where stimulating sociological thinking for application to
contemporaryissues remains a prime objective. My experiences using variationson this
approachin other courses, and the literature
on the use of music to illustrateconcepts and

138

TEACHINGSOCIOLOGY

theories, suggest that an analyticaluse of may be the case in more ethnicallydiverse

music is a successfulpedagogicaltool in classes,it is likelythattheywill haveat least
these contexts.I employa culturalanalysis a stereotypicalview of the music and its
model in my culturalstudiescourse, where audience,thanksto high-profilemediacovprogressiverock music serves as a vehicle erage of the music's alleged associations
andapplyingconcepts,theo- withteen suicideandSatanism.In my expefor introducing
students'
ries, anddebateswithinthislivelyinterdisci- rience, the most "metal-illiterate"
plinaryterrain.While facilitywith cultural curiosityusuallymotivatesthe culturalanalstudies'analyticaltools is a key objectivein ysis, particularly
once they get beyondtheir
this course,the formatis similarto the one commonsense understanding
of this music
usedin introductory
sociology:studentscon- andits fans.
ductan initialculturalanalysisthatincreases
in sophistication
as the instructorintroduces StudentResponsesto Heavy Metal in the
new concepts,theories, and research.My Classroom
sociologicaltheorycourse featuresa more Studentresponsesto my use of heavymetal
modestculturalanalysis.Drawingon Mar- in introductoryclasses over the last five
tin's (1995) applicationof sociologicaltheo- years suggest that the cultural analysis
ries to popularmusic, the class analyzes model is highly effective as an integrative
PinkFloyd'sDarkSide of the Moon(1973) theme in the interactiveclassroom.Course
albumusing the ideas of variousclassical evaluationsoffer anecdotalevidencethatthe
and contemporarytheorists.While I have culturalanalysisapproachis popularwith
not applied the model in this context, a the majorityof students,promotesactive
culturalanalysisof music may be particu- learning,and facilitatesa clearunderstandlarly well-suitedfor use in courseson gen- ing of sociologicalideasandtheirapplicabilder and sexuality.As Reynoldsand Press ity to contemporarysocial issues. First,
(1995) remindus, popularWesternmusic studentsconsistentlymentionhow interestnever straystoo far from sex and women, ing andengagingthey find the heavy metal
makinga wide rangeof music genresfruit- analysisandhow it helps themto relateto
ful targetsof analysiswhen teachingtopics sociologicalperspectivesand ideas, even if
like feminism,gender roles, and violence theywereunfamiliarwiththe music:
againstwomen.
It wasaninteresting
to thetopicswe
approach
The majorityof studentsin my classesare
were
about
we
couldrelateto
because
learning
white, manycome from ruralbackgrounds, it.
and many are first-generation
college students. A growing minorityare returning, I likedand
it. I'mnota fanmyself,but
enjoyed
"nontraditional"
students.Theirexposureto
it has been very interesting
to explorethe
heavy metal music throughtheir children, worldof heavymetal.
andthroughtheirownexperiencesasadolescentsin the 1970sand 1980s, oftenprovides I thinkit's a refreshing
changeof pace.[The
is
also
music]
disturbing.
an interestingcontrastto thatof the younger
students.The troikaof geography,race, and
A refreshingway to learnaboutsociety and
classmakesit likelythatmoststudentsin my
withoutyournosein a book.
subcultures
introductorycourse are somewhatfamiliar
with heavy metalmusic, thoughfew admit It wasa goodwayto makesociologyveryeasy
to being fans. However, student knowledge
about the music is not necessary because the
analysis is designed to inform them about
the music from a sociological point of view.
Even if heavy metal has not been an immediate partof students'culturalexperience, as

to relateto.
I loved it! It was exciting,woke me up, and
connectedwell withtheconcepts.
Second, students indicate that the cultural

MUSICAND CULTURALANALYSIS
analysis helps them develop a sociological
understandingof this music and culture in
general. As many contributors to Teaching
Sociology have noted, a vital task in sociology courses is to "make strange" students'
familiar environment, allowing them to see
things more sociologically. Students frequently describe how the cultural analysis of
heavy metal revealed this cultural phenomenon in a whole new light:

139
becamemoreapparentas we startedapplying
the conceptsto it.
I enjoyhavingone topicto relateideasbackto.
It helps me gain a clearerunderstanding.
I
thinkmusic(musicassociatedwithyoungpeople) was a goodchoice.
I like puttingthe theoriesto work, or using
them in some context that I am, at least
vaguely, familiarwith. It also broughtMarx
and Durkheimand Weber's ideas into the
present.

[The analysis]helpedbecauseit dealt with a

withthatI was
typeof musicI'm so unfamiliar
used to stereotypingit, but I have different
The most direct feedback from studentson
viewsnow.
my use of music comes during the initial
cultural analysis. The enthusiasm of most
It helpedto show thatthese peopleare alien- students increases
dramaticallyonce I hand
atedandthattheyarenotas crazyas we might out the
metal materials for their preheavy
think. I not only learnedhow to do cultural
sustain this level of
analysis, I also learnedthat things are not liminary analysis. They
enthusiasm
this
section of the
throughout
alwayswhattheyseem.
course, which is indicatedby the high level
I thinkit fits [intothe course]great!It's better of involvement in class discussion, the numthansittingandstereotyping
groupsthatpeople ber and quality of questions raised, and
will get offendedby.
frequent dialogue among students. The majority of studentshold strong opinions about
I thoughtit was an interestingway to learn
heavy metal music, which helps them to
aboutwhy people belong to the groupsthat
quickly overcome the preconceptionthat the
theybelongto.
instructor has a monopoly on sociological
I thoughtthat heavy metalput an interesting knowledge. Spontaneous debates about the
twist into the class because I never really meaning of visual symbols and lyrics, the
thoughtaboutwhy artistsmightdo whatthey distinctions between "good" and "bad"
do andwhateffectsit has.
metal, and stereotypes about "metalheads"
often draw in previously reserved students
[Theanalysis]showedhow to pick a partof a and help to convince the skeptics that sociolcultureby lookingat the [fan's] surroundings
ogy may actually have some relevance to
andinfluences.
their lives. Studentsget especially engrossed
After understanding
an "ideal type" heavy while listening to the music, tapping their
metalfanI was ableto do a culturalanalysisof feet, singing along, and reacting vocally and
physically to songs they do or do not enjoy.
heavymetalmusic.
These spontaneous responses provide me
Finally, studentscomment on the value of with grist for subsequentdiscussion because
using sociological concepts, theories, and I can call on individual studentsto elaborate
on their response to a particularsong, and
researchto analyze heavy metal.
the class can discuss the possible reasons for
Theexerciseswereveryhelpfulandgaveme a people's different reactions to the same mufirmgraspon sociologicalculturalanalysis.
sic. This is particularlyimportantbecause it
provides me with an opportunityto reiterate
Heavy metal gave me somethingtangibleto how "history" and "biography"interact to
thinkof andstudy.I do not carefor the music
shape musical tastes and the ways individuitself, butI thinkit was helpfulin understand- als
interpretheavy metal music and lyrics,
ing andrelatingthe conceptsdiscussed.[This]

140
which serves as an introduction to the fan
profile that caps the analysis.
The only consistent critical feedback I
have received comes from a few students
who question the narrow range of music
used in the class. Some students think that I
go "overboard"with the heavy metal analysis and would prefer that we analyze a wider
range of music and culturalobjects. I seek to
minimize this sentiment through the written
assignmentwhere studentsdiscuss their own
music preferences and by encouragingstudents to compare other music genres with
heavy metal as we go through the various
applications. Student comments about the
limitations of my selection of songs occasionally emerge, but because we are working with one music genre, this is less of a
problem than an indication that they are
thinking more deeply about the music and
the connections and contradictions between
heavy metal subtypes. The model is flexible
enough to allow students to bring in music
they feel may contributeto our analysis, and
I can updatemy song illustrationsto keep up
with the evolution of heavy metal.
It is also worth noting the few minor
difficulties that I routinely experience when
using this model. Perhaps the most significant challenge is persuading some students
to take the analysis of heavy metal seriously
as a pivotal learning experience in the
course, ratherthan as an amusing diversion.
This attitudeusually subsides as we expand
the analysis using sociological ideas because
students begin to realize that analyzing
heavy metal helps them to learn the course
material. Some students also have an initial
aversion to the fan profile, which they complain will promote the stereotypingof heavy
metal fans. This provides a golden opportunity to review the differences between
stereotypical and sociological thinking, and
given students' frequent use of stereotypes,
strengthensthe case for a sociological analysis of heavy metal. Typically, once we get
through the first application of Marx and
Durkheim to heavy metal, the majority of
students understand the logic of cultural
analysis. By the end of the course, many

TEACHINGSOCIOLOGY
students have developed quite sophisticated
sociological explanations of heavy metal,
bringing up many of the same points made
by scholars who have studied heavy metal
professionally.
Conducting a detailed cultural analysis of
heavy metal and integratingthis case study
into the format of an introductorysociology
course, takes the use of music in the classroom beyond its common use as an illustrative tool. Based on student evaluations of
their illustrative use of song lyrics in an
introductory sociology class, Walczak and
Reuter (1994) conclude that in futureclasses
they "will move beyond the simple matching
of lyrics to concepts, and will ask studentsto
think more critically about the music itself,
its cultural context, the political agenda of
the performers and writers, and other
points" (p. 268). Following up on these
recommendations,I have developed a model
that significantly expands the possibilities of
using music in sociology courses. In my
experience, asking students to conduct a
cultural analysis of music keeps them actively involved in the learning process, increasing the likelihood that they will realize
the practicalvalue of sociology as a tool for
living. The culturalanalysis model described
in this article adds music to the repertoireof
teaching tools available for developing interactive introductorycourses.
APPENDIX.COURSESYLLABUSFOR
TO SOCIOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
I. SOCIOLOGICAL
THINKING
A. TheSociologicalImagination
(ST) Introduction,
Chapter1:ImaginingSocial
andChapter2: Personal
Things,Competently,
Courage and Practical Sociologies

(MSL)C. WrightMills:ThePromise
(MSL) Donna Gaines: Teenage Wasteland.
'sDeadEndKids
Suburbia
(MSL) KathrynMarie Dudley:Dollars and
Diplomas
B. Socialization
andInteraction
(ST) Chapter3: Practicingthe Disciplineof
Social Things
(MSL) Gwynne Dyer:Anyone's Son WillDo
(MSL) Robert Granfield:Making It by Faking
It. Working-ClassStudents in an Elite Aca-

MUSICAND CULTURALANALYSIS
demic Environment
C. Cultural Analysis: Subcultures and Sociological Visions [ASSIGNMENT: Internet
Search]
(MSL) William Lewis: The Rastafari: Emergence of a Subculture
(MSL) JamesR. Curtis:Miami's LittleHavana:
YardShrines, Cult Religion, Catholicism, and
Santeria
II. SOCIOLOGICALTRADITIONS
A. Classical Sociology: Cracks in the Thin Ice
of Modem Life [APPLICATION:Marx and
Durkheim]
(ST) Chapter4: Lost Worldsand ModernSociology, Chapter5: Sociology and the New World
Order:1848-1920
(MSL) Karl Marx and FriedrichEngels: Manifesto of the CommunistParty
B. TwentiethCenturySociology: Science, Politics, and Social Change[ASSIGNMENT:Functional Analysis]
(ST) Chapter6: Sociology Becomes the Science
of WorldlyStructures:1920-1960
(ST) Chapter7: Sociology Discovers Its Complicated Vocation
(MSL) HerbertGans: The Uses of Poverty: The
Poor Pay All
III. SOCIOLOGICALRESEARCH
(MSL) Mitchell Duneier:Slim's Table
(MSL) Robin Leidner:Over The Counter:McDonald 's
IV. SOCIALSTRUCTURES
A. Stratification: Race and Poverty
[APPLICATION:Cultural Inversion/Transvaluation]
(MSL) Elijah Anderson: The Code of the
Streets
B. Modem Social Structures:Rationalization
and McDonaldization[APPLICATION:Weber
and Ritzer]
(ST) Chapter8: The Mysterious Power of Social Structures
(MSL) George Ritzer: The McDonaldizationof
Society
C. Gender Roles and Family [APPLICATION:
Sexuality in Heavy Metal. ASSIGNMENT.
Dreamworlds2]
(ST) Chapter 9: The Lively Subjects of Dead
Structures
(MSL) JudithLorber: "Nightto His Day ": The
Social Constructionof Gender
(MSL) Kathleen Gerson: No Man's Land:.
Men's Changing Commitmentsto Family and
Work
D. Race Matters: Privilege, Oppression, and
Difference [APPLICATION:Rap and Heavy

141
Metal]
(ST) Chapter 10: Well-MeasuredLives in a
WorldofDifferences
(MSL) Lillian Rubin: Is This a WhiteCountry
or What?
(MSL) Joe Feagin and Melvin Sikes: Navigating Public Places
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DISCOGRAPHY
AC/DC. 1979. "Highway to Hell." Highway to
Hell. Atlantic Records.
AC/DC. 1980. "Let Me Put My Love Into You."
Back in Black. Atlantic Records.
AC/DC. 1981. "For Those About to Rock." For
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Black Sabbath. 1970. "Black Sabbath." Black
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Brutal Truth. 1992. "Regression/Progression."
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Relapse Records.
Deep Purple. 1972. "Highway Star." Machine
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Extreme. 1989. "Mutha (Don't Want to go to
School Today)." Extreme. A&M Records.
Faith No More. 1989. "War Pigs." The Real
Thing. Slash Records.
Guns N' Roses. 1987. "Sweet Child O' Mine."
Appetitefor Destruction. Geffen Records.
Ice Cube. 1990. "Amerikkka'sMost Wanted."
Amerikkka'sMost Wanted.PriorityRecords.
Iron Maiden. 1982. "Number of the Beast."
Numberof the Beast. Capitol Records.
Judas Priest. 1980. "United." British Steel. CBS
Records.

144
Judas Priest. 1990. "A Touch of Evil."
Painkiller. ColumbiaRecords.
Led Zeppelin. 1969. "Whole Lot of Love." Led
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Megadeath. 1994. "Reckoning Day." Youthanasia. CapitolRecords.
Metallica. 1988. "...and Justice for All."...And
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Motley Crue. 1989. "She Goes Down." Dr.
Feelgood. WEA/ElektraEntertainment.
Motorhead. 1979. "Overkill." Overkill. Bronze
Records.
Necrosanct. 1992. "Inevitable Demise." Incarnate. Rough Trade.
Pink Floyd. 1973. Dark Side of the Moon. Capitol Records.
Public Enemy. 1990. "Fight The Power." Fear
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Queensryche. 1988. "Spreading the Disease."
EMI/Manhattan
Operation Mindcrime.
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Rage Against the Machine. 1992. Rage Against
the Machine. Sony Music International.
Rage Against the Machine. 1996. Evil Empire.
Sony Music International.
Ratt. 1991. "Lovin' You's a Dirty Job." Ratt and
Roll 8191. Atlantic Records.

TEACHINGSOCIOLOGY
Rush. 1976. 2112. PolygramRecords.
Sacred Reich. 1993. Independent. Hollywood
Records.
Saxon. 1985. "Rockin' Again." Innocence is No
Excuse. EMI Records.
Scorpions. 1984. "Still Loving You." Love at
First Sting. PolygramRecords.
Sepultura. 1993. Chaos A.D. Roadrunner
Records.
Slayer. 1985. "Hell Awaits." Hell Awaits. Metal
Blade.
Slayer. 1994. "Sex, Murder, Art." Divine Intervention. AmericanRecordings.
Too Short. 1992. "I Ain't Nothin' But a Dog."
Shortythe Pimp. Zomba Recording.
UFO. 1978. Obsession. ChrysalisRecords.
UFO. 1979. "Too Hot to Handle." Strangers in
the Night. ChrysalisRecords.
W.A.S.P. 1985. "Ballcrusher."The Last Command. Capitol Records.
Jarl A. Ahlkvistis assistantprofessorof sociology
at JohnsonStateCollege.In additionto introductory
sociology,he teachescoursesin massmedia,political
sociology, and social theory. His currentresearch
culturesin the commercial
focuseson organizational
radioindustry.