In this course, we will discuss and practice music journalism, a field that lies at the confluence of media criticism, creative writing/nonfiction, and journalism. How can one write persuasively and convincingly about whether a song or album is good or bad? What does it mean to criticize music, an art form that seems, on the whole, very subjective? Why might we want to do that? We will tackle these questions from the modern perspective of music journalism, which often requires complex understandings of music culture and pop culture as a whole. Besides discussing the philosophical underpinnings of music journalism, we will also engage in music journalism ourselves by listening to new music and writing robust reviews and criticism. How does a modern music journalist discover new music and artists? How should one write about rising artists? How can one engage seriously with the music they listen to every day in a critical manner? We’ll answer these questions and more.