American Pop Culture, a relatively new course at Bucks, is taking a look at modern history through the eyes (and mostly ears) popular music.

Stephen Tow is the instructor for this class. This is an important class for students both young and old, according to Tow.

“It’s important for younger students to gain perspective on older music and to see where today’s music is coming from. It’s also good to show some of the older students that, ‘Hey, it’s not all bad after the 70s.'”

Students taking the course should expect to learn not only the history of the music, but how art truly does imitate life.

“I think music really reflects what’s going on in popular culture,” Tow said, “It’s hard to understand the pulse of popular culture without looking at the music.”

The course starts with early blues and the birth of rock and roll, progressing to Seattle-based grunge and Indie rock. Showing how, through the decades, music has mirrored the happenings of that particular time.

American Pop Culture currently meets Wednesday nights from 6:30-10 p.m. at Bucks’ Upper County Campus in Perkasie. Thus far, the course has found moderate popularity.

“It has taken a while to catch on, but this semester we have seventeen students, which is the most we’ve ever had register for the course,” said Tow, “It has been mostly spreading by word of mouth.”

American Pop Culture is based on some of the courses in Penn State and Temple University’s American Studies programs and was started when there was an opening in Bucks’ Social Sciences program, according to Assistant Academic Dean Martin Sutton.

Based on the success and growing excitement around the course, Bucks students should expect it to continue and grow in the future. Look for HIST 239: American Pop Culture when registering this fall.