Since the beginning of the recorded history of jazz, writers have alternately disparaged and praised the new music. Influencing these writings are ideas and prejudices that involve racism (in both directions), drug use, elitism, and ignorance. These handicaps have never quite disappeared from jazz writing. We shall examine both the music and the writing about it through the turbulent decades of the twentieth and twenty-first century by looking closely at reviews, articles, books, memoirs, and even dictionaries. Regular class presentations and communal discussions will be expected, as well as two papers during the course of the semester.