Music and Critical Thought considers definitions of music and how music is constituted. It asks how we encounter and experience music, and what makes a piece of music aesthetically pleasing and who decides. It asks whether the meanings attributed to music are as much intrinsic as they are cultural. The subject considers emotions and feelings in music, and why we would listen to music if it makes us feel sad. When music is used as an instrument of torture is it still music? How do we view the composer in the musical work? Where does creativity reside in a musical work? Is there a difference between musical thinking and thinking about music? Is music representational or immanent or both? Is music political? The subject provides an historical overview of the important debates and considers the poststructuralist critique of these debates. Students will design a question chosen from the topics covered in the subject, and retrieve and critically evaluate the appropriate literature for their project.