In the era of prohibition, Jazz became the lifeblood of the American spirit - a musical language born from a collision of cultures, which spoke to every strata of society.  It leaked underneath the doors of speakeasies, sang in the ring of a Tommy Gun, and wove itself into the flapper dresses and zoot suits of the roaring '20s.  Jazz became the first uniquely American export, and lifted America from a relatively obscure young country to the dominant player on the world stage.  This course will revolve around the Jazz Age as its nucleus, but we will examine the roots and shoots as well - the works that made the Age possible, and those later works which owe it their existence.  We will explore music, art and literature, and seek out their intersections as we juggle style and substance, melody and counterpoint.  From F. Scott Fitzgerald to Langston Hughes, from Duke Ellington to George Gershwin, we will jam with the best, as well as creating our own original poetry and music.