'American Vision': Rutgers University offers course on Bruce Springsteen
Photos from: Nick Romanenko/Rutgers University | Will Russell/Getty Images
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - A professor at Rutgers University has turned his admiration for “The Boss” into a legitimate academic course.
Dr. Louis Masur, a Distinguished Professor of American Studies and History, refers to Bruce Springsteen’s music as integral to his life’s outlook and direction.
“Springsteen’s American Vision” is a class that Professor Masur will lead that will explore how the New Jersey-born icon’s vision defined a generation’s “personal growth and political and social change.”
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According to Masur, Springsteen’s song “Born to Run” changed his life when he was 18 years old and influences the way he approaches educating his students.
The first assignment students will receive during their semester-long course is to write about a song that changed their lives in the same way Masur lauds “Born to Run” for defining his worldview.
Photo by Will Russell/Getty Images
“It forces them to understand something about how they got to this moment in their lives,” Masur explained to Rutgers Today, the university’s news source. “It teaches them to think critically about music, songwriting and performance, and it introduces me to their perspective. It opens up a dialogue into the role of music in their lives and in American culture.”
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Bruce Springsteen’s impact on New Jersey has been an observed phenomenon since the breakthrough success of “Born to Run” when it was released in 1975.
“The songs he played captured a moment in the '70s and '80s, in particular how people in New Jersey came to think of what it means to be alive,” Masur explained.
Credit: Photo:Nick Romanenko/Rutgers University
An example of a previous class syllabus can be found on the Rutgers website.
Course material included a few books, including Masur’s own literary work about The Boss titled “Runaway Dream: Born to Run and Bruce Springsteen’s American Vision”.
Throughout the course, students will be prompted to write critical essays and participate in class discussions.