Course Description:
This course surveys music around the world through the perspective of ethnomusicology, the study of music as a cultural phenomenon. Since No ten-week course can provide an extensive and/or exhaustive survey of all the musics of the world, we will choose one or two case studies from each of seven musical world regions: Africa, North America, Latin America, South Asia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. Through studying the “traditional” and popular musics of various cultural groups, we will learn about the geography, history, religious practices, and cultural habits of numerous world cultures and the nation-states they inhabit. We will also interrogate the ways that music is studied and understood as a social activity, ritual practice, and a fundamental means of expression for both individuals and communities. We will emphasize both critical thinking and critical listening as we venture into learning about the world through its music.
Course Requirements:
As an undergraduate lecture class, the readings, listening assignments, and attendance are critical components. Students are expected to read the material BEFORE each class meeting to better understand the lectures, and to regularly listen to the musical examples. In the Friday section, students will discuss the readings more closely and review the musical examples in order to learn how to articulate and share their ideas on music with the class.
Two tests on the days assigned below are required (one midterm and a final). Each test contains two parts: the first is based on the lectures, handouts, readings, TA sessions, and basic geographical information. The second is comprised of listening examples and the accompanying notes. Learning to listen analytically takes time and practice—it is crucial that you listen to and review the examples each week, and that you always listen to them with the notes in hand in order to hear the important features. The midterm encompasses weeks 1-5. The final is cumulative, but with major emphasis on weeks 6-10. Make-up exams are not provided as a matter of policy—notify the instructor or TA if you have a conflict as early as possible (see below).
This class requires two writing assignments and participation in the class blog. The first is a short essay (2 to 3 pages) on the role of music in your life from a critical perspective. This assignment requires that you incorporate the issues, ideas, and terminology that you learn in class into your essay. The second is a term paper (4 to 5 pages) for which you will attend a concert of world music at the Dept. of Ethnomusicology (or off-campus with instructor’s approval) and write a musical ethnography. Please note that marks will be deducted for incorrect English grammar, poor spelling, or poor punctuation. You are welcome to run drafts of your work past the instructor or the TA in advance. Assignments will be marked down one full letter grade for each school day they are late and will not be accepted more than two days after the due date. Finally, the class blog will require occasional, brief discussions of online material related to course content. See instructions for each writing assignment on the course website.
Your final grade will be calculated from the following:
* Attendance and class participation 15%
* Class Blog 10%
* 2-3 page Essay (due Weds., April 23rd in class) 5%
* Midterm Exam (Mon, May 5th, 9-11 AM) 25%
* 4-5 page Term paper (due Weds., June 4th in class) 15%
* Final Exam (Tues., June 10th, 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM) 30%
Course Materials:
We will use the textbook Worlds of Music (Jeff Todd Titon, etc., 2nd edition) available for purchase at the UCLA Bookstore and on reserve at the Music Library. It is also offered as a digital text option for purchase: http://www.uclaestore.com/ucla/textbook_student.asp?ref=ucla.
Additional readings will be placed on reserve in the library or available online. All listening examples are available on the course website, and additional CDs are on reserve in the Music Library.
Listening Reserves: http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/music/.
Course Website
The website for the course is accessible at http://www.ethnomusic.ucla.edu/courses/
spring/2008/5/. The site includes the syllabus, instructor contact information, and course documents, including links to the listening examples, a list of books and readings on reserve for the course, supplementary visual materials (transcriptions and photos from PowerPoint lectures), etc. NOTE: Audio examples can be accessed via live streaming only—downloading is prohibited. The site will also be updated with concert suggestions, changes to the syllabus, etc. Please check this site regularly. The access code, if required, will be given out the first week of class.
Grading Scale (not curved):
A+ = 98-100%; A = 93-97%; A- = 90-92%
B+ = 88-89%; B = 83-87%; B- = 80-82%
C+ = 78-79%; C = 73-77%; C- = 70-72%
D+ = 68-69%; D = 63-67%; D- = 60-62%
F = 59% and below
Religious holidays, illness, etc.:
If for any reason you will be unable to take an exam (religious holiday, citizenship exam/interview/ceremony, etc.), you must inform me by email within the first two weeks of class so I can schedule all students thus affected to take the exam together. If you have an illness or family emergency, court appearance, car problems, etc. you must inform me immediately by email or call the TA, and then provide a doctor's note and other forms of paperwork.
Students with disabilities:
Please inform me at the beginning of the quarter if you have a disability that requires special accommodation in class or for exams. You must have registered with the Office for Students with Disabilities. Their website is http://www.saonet.ucla.edu/osd/.
Academic Honesty:
Cheating on exams, plagiarism on written work, and other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Students must submit original work with adequate citation methods (to be discussed in class). Plagiarism includes 1) the presentation of another author’s work/words as your own, and 2) presenting another author’s words in your paper without an adequate citation method. Student misconduct in class, including suspicious behavior during exams, will be reported to the Office of the Dean of Students. Please consult the Student Guide to Academic Integrity, available from the Office of the Dean of Students (1206 Murphy Hall, tel. 825-3871) or online: http://www.deanofstudents.ucla.edu/integrity.html.
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