Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, I spend 75 minutes listening to and talking about Bruce Springsteen with twenty 19- and 20-year-old freshmen at the University of Wisconsin. When the class (technically titled “Bruce Springsteen?s America”) began, most the students didn?t know much of Springsteen?s music beyond “Born in the U.S.A.” and “Born to Run.” The most common explanation for why they signed up for the class was something like “my parents are crazy about Bruce and I?d kinda like to know why.” They?re smart, engaged, a bit more urban and geographically diverse than the average UW class. (New York City, Long Island, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Pittsburg, and China via Queens, in addition to our standard upper Midwestern mix). I?ll introduce you to a few of them in a minute.
Office of Strategic Communication