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MUS285 World Music

Student Proficiencies:

You will demonstrate the ability to think clearly and logically about music through:

• analysis, synthesis and interpretation of stylistic characteristics of multicultural American music
• analysis, synthesis and interpretation of  the cultural aspects of different people  as reflected in musics of the world drawing on ethnomusicology, musicology, history and anthropology
• analysis, synthesis and interpretation of current demographics, and physical and cultural geographic concepts

You will demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively by:

• reading about the peoples of the world with comprehension including interpreting graphs, tables and maps
• listening to a variety of musical styles from around the world with critical perception
• working collaboratively as part of a research team
• communicating with people different than themselves

The student will demonstrate aesthetic response to music by:

• responding to music of the world with sensitivity and perception
• imaginatively responding to sound

Student Evaluation:

  Your final grade will be based on the following;

1.       Reflection paper on “Ethnomusicology”.  Use D2L to post your comment on Bruno Nettl’s “Ethnomusicology:  Definitions, Directions, and Problems.”

a.       The post must be a few sentences to a paragraph long.

b.       The post will be your reaction, impressions, summary, or interpretation of the article.

c.       You must respond to another person’s post in a positive way.

2.       Exams: There will be two (2) exams:  one Midterm and one comprehensive Final Exam. Exam questions can consist of various structure including multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer along with identifying locations on a map. The exams cover material assigned from the book, videos, class discussion, musical component, and miscellaneous assignments from that section. The Final Exam will cover material from the whole semester.

3.       Map: A critical aspect of geography concerns spatial concepts; this begins by understanding LOCATION.  

a.       Item lists and maps will be posted on D2L. 

b.       Locate and label various physical and cultural items on maps.  

c.       Print the map.

d.       Write the items in their correct location on the map.

e.       Return the map to Mike Jurmu by either:

                                                   i.      scanning it and sending it via e-mail (preferred way)

                                                 ii.      faxing it to the FdL campus.

f.         The map project is due April 28

4.       Out-of-Class Reflection Papers: You have two reflective papers due.  These are group efforts!

a.       Assignments:

                                                   i.      You must attend one (1) musical event outside of class and write a reflective paper on your experiences.  Dates and times for potential events to attend will be provided throughout the semester. You are also encouraged to inform me of events that you are aware of that could potentially be approved for this assignment. Specifics on paper requirements will be provided in class.

                                                 ii.      Listen to a “World Music” recording.  Write a short paper about it.  We’ll talk about what is acceptable in one of our classes.

b.       Requirements:

                                                   i.      Each paper must be between 1000 and 1500 words. ***

                                                 ii.      All papers must have high academic standards.  This means that they must be spell- and grammar-checked, proofread, have a bibliography, and present arguments in a logical manner.  MSWord and other spell- and grammar-checkers ARE NOT thorough.  Reading a college paper that has errors is like driving over speed bumps – very annoying!

                                                iii.      You must cite your sources.  Failure to do so can lead to serious consequences.

c.       Format:

                                                   i.      All papers must be posted in D2L.

                                                 ii.      Since Microsoft Office is the “official” productivity software for the UW System, every file must be able to be read by MSWord.  Rich Text Files (RTF) and Plain Text files are acceptable if you don’t own Microsoft Word.  Microsoft Works files are NOT able to be read by MSWord (go figure).

d.       All papers must have each student’s name at the beginning or at the end of the paper.  It’s amazing how many papers I’ve received that have no names at all.

e.       It is a good idea to save your papers on a disk or your home computer (both would be smart) until after you’ve received your final grade for the course (sometime in late May).  If there is any dispute over your grade, you can re-submit a paper to prove that you really finished that assignment.

5.       Final In-class Report:  You must work in a small group for this assignment.   The basis for this presentation will be provided by the attendance of one of the ethnic fests in Wisconsin (or nearby states).  The group will have common experiences from the fest, research the culture, and present a 15 minute presentation to the class.   The research can focus on any aspect that relates to music and/or culture.  You and your fellow group members will design the components of the research and the emphasis of the content and will submit an outline for approval that will include demographics and other pertinent geographic content.  The presentation can include video recordings from the fest, photos, music examples, results of live interviews with performers, food samples, costumes, etc.

6.       Read the Syllabus:  You must send me an e-mail confirming that you have read and understood this syllabus (see below, under “E-mail”)

Grading:

Final grades are based upon the percentage of total points as follows:

·         In some cases, grading may be adjusted to take into account the highest grades and percentages progress from there (some call this “grading curves”). When this has occurred in the past, the scale is only slightly changed. THEREFORE it is important to do your best on all assignments and exams!

·         Current grading should be posted in D2L so you can chart your progress. PLEASE do not wait until late in the semester to seek help if you are struggling!

·         Attendance, participation, effort, and improvement might also be considered if your grade is borderline.

last updated:  September 8, 2005