Understanding Johnny Cash

From his first appearances as a performing artist to his present lionization, Johnny Cash has always had a tremendous impact on American culture. While his significance has been persistent, its his nature has rarely, if ever, been consistent. Creatively, spiritually, politically, and personally, Cash lived a life marked by contradictions—making him a figure that fans and scholars alike have struggled to understand. This course will enter into that process, working to develop a rounded, comprehensive assessment of the man and his music by setting his life, his work, and creative and critical responses to him in their historical contexts.