Note: Some of the readings and lecture topics may be modified during the quarter, but the basic structure of the course, assignments, and deadlines will be maintained.
Course Description:
The focus of this course is music of the Americas and Europe, with an emphasis on folk, traditional, and popular musics. This class is part of a three course series (20A-B-C), but the courses may also be taken independently. There are no prerequisites, nor is any knowledge of musical notation required.
Course Objectives:
1. To learn some of the varied sounds of the music of these huge regions;
2. to learn new ways of listening to sounds, new ways of writing about them, and new ways of making them;
3. to learn about the field of ethnomusicology, its objectives, methods, and publications;
4. to learn how individuals and communities use music to express their feelings and mobilize people, to create order out of apparent chaos, and to experience profound spiritual events;
5. and to learn how to understand music as part of historical and social processes.
Students who complete the course will know how to identify a number of major musical traditions, how ethnomusicologists approach the study of music, and how they might undertake future musical explorations on their own. Students will also have gained new perspectives on the Americas and Europe, on sounds, and on the role of music in social life. This course should enhance the experience of listening to and/or dancing to popular music, studying history or literature, travel, or even just attending concerts.
Course Expectations
Students are responsible for regular attendance at lectures and discussion sections; 4 listening assignments; a five-page descriptive paper based upon attending a music event (this will be described in more detail in lecture); a five-page book review on a music ethnography from a large list of approved texts; and the midterm and final exams.
Grades will be weighted as follows: midterm 20%, final exam 25%, musical event paper 10%, book review 10%, attendance and participation 15%, and listening assignments 20% (5% each). The midterm and final exams will be in multiple choice formats and will not be cumulative—the final exam will cover the musical traditions discussed after the midterm. Please discuss any exam conflicts with the instructor before the exam date in order to make other arrangements. Other than that, makeup exams will not be given without proof of illness (doctor’s excuse) or compelling personal circumstances such as a death in the family.
The grade scale is:
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+ = 68-70; D = 62-65; D- = 61-62; E = 60 and below.
Students are expected to attend all class meetings; roll will be taken. Missing more than two lecture classes without the TA’s or professor’s written permission will adversely affect a student’s grade. Attendance at discussion sections is also mandatory. Missing more than one section meeting without the TA’s or professor’s written authorization will adversely affect a student’s grade.
The professor and teaching assistants all have office hours. They are also available at other times by appointment. Please make appointments after class or via email. In general, please address questions about attendance and assignments to your TA and questions about the lectures to Professor Seeger.
Class Etiquette: It is important to maintain a learning environment in the lecture hall and in the discussion sections. Students are expected to arrive on time for the class, turn off cell phones and audible pagers, and end conversations by the start of class. Please refrain from personal conversations until the class is over, as they are very distracting to others in the room. Guest lecturers and musicians should be given the same courtesy you give your professor and TAs. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to ask them, and listen to your fellow students with the same courtesy you would like to receive from them.
Please note the following late paper grading policies:
Required papers will drop by one grade per day each day they are late (i.e., an A becomes an A-). The clock starts after the beginning of class (within the first 10 minutes of the start of the class). Any paper put in a mailbox on the due date will be counted as a day late.
Course Materials
The reader for this course is available Print Run, 950 Gayley Avenue (next to In-N-Out). This reader is required, and exam materials will be drawn from the readings.
General Course Information:
Readings
Students must finish the assigned reading before the first class of the week in which it is due, since the lectures and media will make a lot more sense when you have done the reading first. All additional reading must be completed by the discussion session, to facilitate an active discussion and ensure that all questions are answered.
Course Website
Information about the course will be placed on a course website. Please check the site regularly during the quarter. The address of the website and digital reserves will be given out in class, along with the password for the latter.
Listening Assignments
There will be four listening assignments. Some of the listening tracks will be placed on the Music Library digital reserve and should be accessible from any computer. They will also be available on CD for consulting in the music library. Each set of listening examples has a set of descriptive notes, which will be posted on the course website and deposited in the music library. Students should have the notes at hand when they listen to the music. They should turn in their listening notes on the assigned dates.
In addition to the eight fixed tracks, students will be asked to search for and select two additional tracks to describe from the Smithsonian Global Sound resource available through the music library website. This will be described in class and posted on the course website. The purpose of this is to learn to explore one of the richest sources of recorded world music on the Internet.
Discussion Sections and Exercises
Discussion sections will be run by advanced graduate student Teaching Assistants (TAs) under the supervision of the professor. The discussion sessions will go over material presented in class, introduce new material, and also address questions that arise from the lectures or reading. Exercises may include pop quizzes, instrument making, debates, and singing. Attendance at discussion sections is required; students should attend only the sections for which they have registered. Students who know they will miss a session should email their instructor in advance whenever possible. If students have questions about their assignments or grades, they should consult their discussion section instructor first. If they still have questions, they should consult the professor.
Papers on Live Performances
Every student is required to attend a live musical event during the quarter and to write a short ethnography of it using a format prepared and discussed in class. Students are free to choose the events, but may also consult the instructors and the website for suggestions if they wish. Free events within walking distance of campus for those under 21are less common than ones for which admission fees are charged and an ID may be required, so it is important to start looking for events early. Students may go in small groups, or with friends. The paper should be approximately 5 pages (1200 words) long, and printed on white paper, double-spaced, using 12-point type and 1-inch margins all around. Writing style, grammar, appropriate citation style, and other technical matters will be graded, in addition to your ideas. Among the many traditions available in the Los Angeles area are Native American, African American, Chicano and Latino, European American Bluegrass and Old Time Music, Mexican, Cuban, and Brazilian, and many European folk traditions. Carnivals, or Mardi Gras, falls on February 5th this year; there are often many musical events in the weeks prior to Carnival, so plan ahead. Don’t leave this assignment until the last minute. Papers must be submitted both in hard copy and as a computer file.
Book Review
Book-length studies of musical traditions are an important format through which ethnomusicologists present the results of their research. Each student will choose one book from the list below to read and review using a format discussed in class. Students are encouraged to select a book about a musical tradition that particularly interests them—this is a chance to tailor the course to your interests. Books other than those on this list are possible as long as they consider music of the Americas or Europe and are ethnographic, but must be approved by your T.A. or Professor Seeger. The content of the book review will be discussed in class. The review should be approximately 5 pages in length (double spaced, 12-point type, 1-inch margins), about 1,200 words. Reviews must be submitted both as hard copy and as a computer file.
Among the books you may choose are:
· Gage Averill, A Day for the Hunter, a Day for the Prey: Popular Music and Power in Haiti. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997.
· Gage Averill. Four Parts, No Waiting: A Social History of American Barbershop Harmony. Oxford University Press. 2003.
· Tara Browner, Heartbeat of the People: Music and Dance of the Northern Pow-Wow. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2002.
· Kyra D. Gaunt. The Games Black Girls Play: Learning the Ropes from Double-Dutch to Hip-Hop. New York University Press, 2006
· Katherine Hagedorn. Divine Utterances: The Performance of Afro-Cuban Santeria. Smithsonian Institution Press. 2001.
· Cheryl L. Keyes, Rap Music and Street Consciousness. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2002.
· Michael Largey. Vodou Nation: Haitian Art Music and Cultural Nationalism. University of Chicago Press, 2006
· Steven Loza, Barrio Rhythm, Mexican American Music in Los Angeles. Urbana: University of Illinois Press 1993.
· Zoila S.Mendoza, Shaping Society through Dance: Mestizo Ritual Performance in the Peruvian Andes. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
· Colin Quigley, Music from the Heart: Compositions of a Folk Fiddler. Athens, Ga: University of Georgia Press, 1995.
· Timothy Rice, May It Fill Your Soul, Experiencing Bulgarian Music. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994.
· Anthony Seeger, Why Suyá Sing: A Musical Anthropology of an Amazonian People. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2004.
· Helena Simonett, Banda: Mexican Musical Life across Borders. Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press, 2001.
· Ivan M. Tribe, The Stonemans: An Appalachian Family and the Music That Shaped Their Lives. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994.
· Lise Waxer, City of Musical Memory: Salsa, Record Grooves, and Popular Culture in Cali, Colombia. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press, 2002.
A few of these books may be available in the book store. If not, the best way to obtain them is from the library or through a web-based retailer. If you have already read one of these books, please read a different one for this course.
Exams
The course will have a midterm and a final exam. They will include materials from class lectures, videos, and discussions, from the discussion sections, the listening assignments, and the readings. The final is not cumulative—it will cover traditions encountered after January 31st.
Extra Credit
Students may earn up to 3 points extra credit for the following activities: (1) Performing or presenting to the whole class in lecture time about a musical tradition they know about or (2) writing a review of an audio or video recording of the music of one of the regions covered in the course. The reviews are due at the start of the final exam.
About Original Work
Please note that any course in which students are asked to do original work outside of the classroom can be abused through inappropriate collaboration and plagiarism. The purpose of reading, thinking and writing is to learn to do it for yourself for the rest of your life—it is probably the most important set of skills that can be learned in college.
Plagiarism is the presentation of another author’s words or ideas as if they were your own and is a very serious offense. University regulations require that any case of plagiarism be sent to the Dean of Students for review. Students with any questions about documentation, quotation, and related matters should consult their TA before submitting their work.
Changes in the Course Outline
Some changes may be made in specific reading and assignments during the course of the quarter. Any changes will be described during lectures and discussion sessions and posted on the website.
Important Dates:
January 25: First listening assignment due in first 10 minutes of discussion section
February 1: Selection of Music Ethnography due in discussion section
February 8: Second listening assignment due in first 10 minutes of discussion section
February 12: Mid Term Exam
February 22: Ethnography of a live performance due in first 10 minutes of discussion section
February 29: Third Listening Assignment due
March 7: Book review due at start of discussion section
March 14 Fourth listening assignment due at start of discussion section
March 20: Final Exam, 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM
Course Schedule
Week One: Introduction
1/8 Opening Lecture; Basic Elements of Music
· Reading:
· Donald C. Meyer, “Elements,” Rhythm,” and “Pitch and Melody,” in Perspectives in Music (Saddle Ridge, N.J.: Prentice Hall 2003), 2-22.
1/10 Sacred Flutes, Sacred Songs, Healing Bodies, Societies, and the Universe
· Reading
· Anthony Seeger, “The Tropical Forest Region” (excerpt) The Garland Encyclopedia of Latin American Music. pp. 201-206
1/11 Discussion: Review technical terms for musical sound.
Week Two: South American Indians
1/15 Why Suyá Sing: Research Questions, Methods, and Results
· Reading:
· Donald C. Meyer “Form and Other Elements” in Perspectives in Music (Saddle Ridge, N.J.: Prentice Hall 2003), 39-46.
·
Anthony Seeger, “Preface” Why Suyá Sing: A Musical Anthropology of an Amazonian People. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press 2004, pp xiii-xvii
1/17 Music of North American Indians – Professor Tara Browner
· Reading:
· Richard Crawford, “Travel in the Winds: Native American Music From 1820,” in An Introduction to America’s Music (New York: W.W. Norton, 2001), 237-248.
· Kay Kaufman Shelemay, “Case Study: The Shoshone Powwow,” in Soundscapes: Exploring Music in a Changing World (New York: W.W. Norton, 2002), 295-314.
1/18 Discussion Section: Ethnography of Music.
Reading: Anthony Seeger, “Ethnography of Music” in Ethnomusicology: An Introduction, edited by Helen Myers (London: Macmillan Press 1992), 88-109
Week Three: Europe
1/22 Europe - Bulgaria, with Professor Tim Rice
· Readings:
· Mark Slobin, “Europe/Peasant Cultures of Eastern Europe,” from Jeff Todd Titon, ed., Worlds of Music (New York: Schirmer, 1992), 167-208.
· Timothy Rice, “Bulgaria or Chalgaria: The Attenuation of Bulgarian Nationalism in Mass-Mediated Popular Music,” Yearbook for Traditional Music 34 (2002): 25-46.
1/24 Europe – The UK and Ireland, with Professor Tim Taylor
Reading:
“Song-Aires and Songs,” “Dancing,” and “The Dance Music” in Folk Music and Dances of Ireland. Cork: Ossian, 1996 16-48 and 55-64.
1/25 Discussion of listening assignment. First listening assignment due at beginning of section.
Week Four: Europe II
1/29 Peoples without Nations: Jewish Musicians, Jewish Music, and Klezmer
· Philip Bohlman, “Jewish Music in Europe” in The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, Europe. New York and London: Garland Publishing pp 248-269.
· Hankus Netsky, “American Klezmer: A Brief History” in American Klezmer: Its Roots and Offshoots.
1/31 Expulsion, Colonialism, and Music
Reading:
TBA
2/1 Discussion Section: Music, Nationalism, and Ethnicity
Reading:
Stuart Hall, “Ethnicity: Identity and Difference,” Radical America 23 (October-December 1989): 9-20.
Week Five: Carnival/Carnaval/Mardi Gras and Brazil
2/5 Carnival/Mardi Gras in Comparative Perspective:
· Reading:
· Barbara Mauldin, “Introduction: Carnival in Europe and the Americas” in ¡Carnaval! Seattle: University of Washington Press, pp 3-18. Color photos and some text also available on the website http://www.carnavalexhibit.org/index.php
· John P. Murphy, “Samba, Brazil’s National Music” (excerpt) in Music in Brazil. Oxford: Oxford University Press 2006: 1-13.
2/7 African Religions in The Americas: Santeria, Candomblé and others
Reading:
TBA
2/8 Discussion. Preparation for Mid-Term Exam. Second Listening Assignment Due
Week Six
2/12 MIDTERM EXAM
2/14 Southern Vernacular Music, Bluegrass, and Country
· Reading:
· Neil V. Rosenberg “Hillbilly Music and the Monroe Brothers” in Bluegrass: A History. Chicago: University of Illinois Press 1985. Pp 18-39.
2/15 Discussion Section: Review midterm
Week Seven: African American Traditions
2/19 African American I: History, Work Songs, Early Blues, Brass Bands
· Reading:
· Meyer, “The Blues,” in Perspectives in Music, 48-66.
· Hazel Carby, “It Just Be’s Dat Way Sometime: The Sexual Politics of Women’s Blues,” in Unequal Sisters: A Multicultural Reader in U.S. Women’s History, ed. Ellen Carol DuBois and Vicki L. Ruiz (New York: Routledge, 1990), 330-41.
2/21 African American II—More Recent Music, guest lecturer, Regina Sewell
· Reading:
· Portia Maultsby, “Funk Music: An Expression of Black Life in Dayton, Ohio and the American Metropolis,” in The American Metropolis: Image and Inspiration, ed. Hans Krabbendam, Marja Roholl, and Tity De Vries (Amsterdam: Vu University Press, 2001), 198-213.
· Tricia Rose, “Voices from the Margins: Rap Music and Contemporary Black Cultural Production,” in Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America (Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press, 1994), 1-20.
2/22 Discussion Section: Concert ethnography paper due at beginning of class.
Week Eight: Local Musics in the Americas
2/26 Regional Musics in the USA – Cajun, Zyedeco, Corrido
· Kay Kauffman Shelemay, "Case Study: The Corrido” and “Case Study: Multiple Identities in Cajun and Zydeco Music” in Soundscapes: Exploring Music in a Changing World 2nd edition. New York: W.W. Norton: 220-225 and 444-467.
2/28 Regional Musics in Mexico and Central America
· Reading:
· Daniel Sheehy, “Popular Mexican Traditions” in Music in Latin American Culture: Regional Traditions, edited by John Schechter. New York: Schirmer: 34-79.
· Kay K. Shelemay, “Case Study: The Quinceañera” in Soundscapes: Exploring Music in a Changing World 2nd edition. New York: W.W. Norton.
2/29 Discussion Section. Third Listening Assignment Due
Week Nine: Local Music Going Global
3/4 The Tango: Its birth in Argentina, consecration in France, and Popularity World-Wide
· Reading:
· Shelemay “Case Study: The Tango” in Soundscapes.
· Marta Savigliano “Tango and the Colonizing Gaze” in Tango and the Political Economy of Passion. Boulder: Westview Press 1995. Pp 73-135.
3/6 Media and Music in the 20th Century: Local Musicians, Cultural Policies, UNESCO Projects, Intellectual Property, and the sounds of music today.
3/7 Section on the significance of media in musical life. Book Review due at beginning of discussion section.
Week Ten: Global Influences – Music Consumption and Understanding
3/11 Global Influences on 21st Century Musical Traditions
3/13 Last Class TBA.
3/14 Discussion: Review for final exam. Fourth Listening Assignment due at start of section
3/20 FINAL EXAM Thursday, March 20, 2008 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM |
