For the first few minutes of each class period, Professor of History Dr. Mark Schantz’s E-Term class tunes instruments, adjusts strings, and starts to warm up. These seemingly mundane steps are important parts of the musical process and are the details Bob Dylan deemed essential, Schantz tells his students.

The course, titled “Like a Rolling Stone: Bob Dylan in America or Why Bob Dylan Matters,” studies the life and work of the musical and cultural icon. While the class focuses on the history of Bob Dylan and his work, Schantz begins each day with a class-wide performance of a few songs.

“When you inhabit the songs, they mean something different to you,” he explains. “They become part of you as a subject. I’ve had students say that the meaning of a lyric has changed dramatically for them just after we sing it.”

Though Schantz does not require a background in music, the class itself makes each student a musician. Everyone sings the songs as a part of the class, and students are encouraged to bring instruments if they have them. This year’s class has incorporated guitars, tambourines, a snare drum, and a set of bongos to join in with Schantz’s guitar and harmonica.

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The class continues with a discussion about their assignments, which range from readings to listening to albums to writing reflections about what they’re hearing. From there, students begin to place Dylan’s artistry and messages into their own worlds to further understand the impact of his work.

“It just seems that I am deeply involved with Dylan’s music at an emotional level that I can’t articulate,” Schantz says.

That connection generated his idea for the class, which he has now taught for five years. The Exploration Term allows both Schantz and his students to study something a little different or more adventurous than what they are used to.

In addition to cultivating a love for Bob Dylan, the class opens students up to the idea of performing. The first year Schantz taught the class, he and his students formed a full band called “Complete Unknowns.” The second class of students organized a fundraiser show to support Syrian refugees, paired with classmate Dunya Habash ’16’s film about the crisis.

This year, students have held pop-up shows around campus to perform the songs they’ve connected with over the term. They elaborate on their project to those who stop and listen, introducing the themes of the songs as well as each individual’s role in the band, from their own “Mr. Tambourine Man” to their “Word Master,” who projects the lyrics and sheet music for the class.

“The thing that amazes me is that students who usually would never perform like this actually do it,” Schantz says. “Students discover more about their capacities. Even in just a few days, students become more conscious about what they’re doing and get better.”

Listen to our Bob Dylan Spotify playlist to hear some of the students’ favorite tracks.