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MUS285 World Music

Lecture 01

Spring, 2008

Class Time:      MWF 12:00-12:50 pm

Location:         Room 271

Instructors:       Music: Daniel Ackley                (262) 335-5226    dackley@uwc.edu          Washington County Campus

                        Geography: Michael C. Jurmu   (920) 929-3635     mjurmu@uwc.edu          FdL Campus Office S-210

Office Hours:    Daniel Ackley:   MWF:  10:30-10:50 & 11:50-12:30,       TuTh:  9:15-10:30, or by appointment

                        M.C. Jurmu: call for appointment

Text:                Worlds of Music, Jeff Todd Titon, gen ed.  3rd ed, Schirmer, 1996

                        NOTE:  Bring Books to Class!

*additional readings and handouts will be posted on D2L.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  A guide to the understanding of non-Western and ethnic Western music through guided listening experiences of representative musics throughout the world; the study of the affect of demographics and geographic concepts within a culture; and the resulting impact on America’s diverse musical culture.

PURPOSE:  Since the Industrial Revolution, human population has increased dramatically.  Along with this proliferation, technology has transformed human lifestyles.  As humans enter the 21^st century, the Information Age will allow further and more extensive communications between previously distant peoples.  Yet as our technology improves, many of us in the U.S. are ignorant to the immense cultural diversity presently inhabiting Earth.  We can communicate and travel to vast areas of the world, yet we know, or understand very little of these people and places.

OBJECTIVE:  To expose students to numerous realms and regions of the world to help them better understand these varied cultural and physical environments from a musical and geographic perspective.  In doing so, students will become more aware of these places, and understand how they fit into the future evolution of the world; its politics, economy, and cultural direction.

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

INTERDISCIPLINARY DESIGNATION (IS):  To present the world from an interdisciplinary view, a significant portion of this course (about 20%) will focus on geography from around the globe.  Mike Jurmu will be presenting material about geography from different realms as we study them. Since no textbook to cover this material is required and it is critical to be looking at maps and listening to Mike’s explanations simultaneously, it behooves you to attend.

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.

ASSESSMENT:

A UW Colleges-wide assessment program has been put into place to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the curriculum, programs and services of the institution.  The following areas of proficiency will be assessed because they are of primary importance in the education of our students:  Analytical Skills, Quantitative Skills, Communication Skills, and the Aesthetic Engagement.  The Music Department has also determined a number of core proficiencies for students enrolled in ___________ classes.  For more information, go to www.____________.

 CLASS ATTENDANCE, TARDINESS, & PARTICIPATION: There is no direct grading penalty for failure to attend class, and you will not be forced to discuss any matter during class, BUT I encourage you to attend because every lecture, discussion, and activity conducted will aid in understanding musical and physical concepts and will likely be covered on the exams.

·   I expect you to show up on time!  Class starts at the top of the hour and I will begin at that time. If you have a reason for being late, please enter the room with as little disturbance as possible.

MISSING EXAMS & DUE DATES:  There are few excuses that I will accept for missing scheduled exams.

·    All exams will be given on the date indicated on the syllabus (except in cases beyond my control).

·    Incidences where an exam is missed will be dealt with individually; there is no guarantee a make-up will be allowed!!

·    If you miss an exam without an acceptable excuse, you will loose those points without possibility of making them up.

·    You are responsible to make arrangements with me when conflicts occur with scheduled exams. It is suggested that you review exam dates indicated to see if problems might exist, and then . . . please come see me!

·    You must contact me as soon as possible when you have missed an exam or assignment due date!  DO NOT wait until the next class or week, and then show up asking to make-up the work!  Even if it is an e-mail, it is important you show me you care about your education.

PRE- & POST-EXAM REVIEW: I try to set aside a portion of each class prior to exams for you to ask questions regarding any aspect covered!  I also set time aside after the exam for review.

·    I encourage you to review the material from the section prior to the exam, and come prepared with questions!

FINAL EXAM: This is cumulative, thus you will need to prepare by studying ALL the previous semester material.

EXTRA CREDIT: I am NOT a big proponent of “extra credit” (is there extra credit on the job?). 

·    There are plenty of ways to gain points in this course, so you should focus on achieving the maximum points for assigned work.

·    To me, extra credit means extensive work/research on a topic from the course, not some simple paper.  Often, students who need extra credit to boost a grade would be better off spending their time studying the required material! 

·    IF you want to attempt extra credit, they should have some idea of a project BEFORE you approach me about the subject!

OFF-CAMPUS COMPUTERS: It is very resourceful to have a computer at home or work that you can utilize to do course work. The theory behind software such as D2L is to allow you the option of complete access to course material whenever needed. In reality, sometimes the system itself does not work properly, your computer does not have the correct or latest software versions, or you just cannot get into the system. I HIGHLY encourage you to utilize the computers on campus because they provide the optimal access to all materials! If you cannot access the material at home, and since you have to come to class at least 2 days a week, allocate some of that time to use the computers here!

E-MAIL: Every registered student was provided an e-mail account on the UW-Colleges (UWC) system.  It is the preferred way to communicate with instructors.  If you send messages using another e-mailing address (such as “hotmail”), it might not be received because the UWC system has blockers and virus scans.  Sometimes your e-mail might get through, sometimes quarantined, or even blocked-out totally. ALL E-MAILS YOU SEND ME SHOULD BE FROM YOUR UWC E-MAIL ADDRESS!!  Do not ask me to send messages to you at another address.  If you are unsure how to access your account (login and password), library personnel can assist you or ask a fellow student to help.

·   For all e-mails that you send to me, you MUST put "MUS285" (no spaces) in the subject line.  I teach several courses in which I require e-mail assignments.  In order for me to keep things organized (and grade efficiently), I've used the "Rules Wizard" in Outlook to move incoming e-mails to the right folder AND I look at those first (before I delete my spam).  In order for you to be certain that I get your e-mails, please be sure that you put "MUS285" (no spaces) in the subject line.

·   At this point, to be sure you are reading this and understand about e-mailing, you should e-mail (FROM YOUR UWC account address) a message to me with the following statement; “I have read the syllabus”. Your e-mail must be received by my e-mail account at least one hour before the next class (Thursday January 27, 2005). Reading the syllabus is one of your first assignments, thus there will be points for doing this!

WEATHER-RELATED CLASS CANCELLATIONS: DO NOT call the university when you think classes are canceled!!

·    Cancellations are announced on local radio, TV stations, and web sites. The Student Government has information cards naming these sources.

·    You should monitor those sources first if you believe classes have been canceled.  Keep in mind only EXTREME weather warrants cancellations.

ADDITIONAL CLASSROOM RULES:

1.       No eating or chewing/smoking of tobacco during class!

2.       Be respectful of others in class: We are all adults, please treat each other as adults!  I will treat you as an adult.

3.       Academic Misconduct; cheating, misconduct to university equipment, faculty, staff, or students, misrepresentation of original work, and other activities deemed inappropriate at this level of education will be dealt with as outline by the University’s policies and rules;

“All Suspected incidents of academic misconduct shall be handled using the UW System rules, Chapter 14. ‘Academic misconduct’ includes, but not limited to, the following examples: ‘cheating on an examination, collaborating with others in work to be presented, contrary to the stated rules of the course; submitting a paper or assignment as one’s own work, when a part or all of the paper or assignment is the work of another; tampering with the laboratory experiment or computer program of another student (from UWS 14.03)’. Further definition of ‘academic misconduct’ can be found in UWS 14.03. UWS 14 is available to all students in the library; additionally, all students received a copy of this policy during their orientation.”

EXPECTATIONS:

I expect every student to:

-          Read and complete all the assignments prior to class.

-          Re-read the material after the class to determine where you have questions or problems.

-          Spend time working with the material outside of class (text, additional readings, web sites, etc.).

-          Show up ready to ask intuitive questions regarding the topics covered in this course.

-          Approach class and each topic with enthusiasm and an open mind ready to learn from their experiences.

-          Contact me if you are having trouble with the material; YES I can help!

-          Engage in open discussions with your classmates & me; YES, this is EDUCATION, not indoctrination!

-          Conduct yourself in a professional and adult-like manner.

-          Respect everyone’s opinions, property, and person at all times!

You should expect to:

-          Be challenged and intellectually stimulated by the material and its presentation.

-          Spend time outside of the class reading & analyzing materials relating to the topics covered.  This includes re-reading, identifying concepts they do not understand, and investigating other sources if necessary.

-          Have an organized, planned set of activities encouraging thought, reasoning, and understanding.

-          Have an instructor who knows the subject and conveys this knowledge in various terms or explanations you can comprehend.

-          Receive help when you are struggling, and feel free to approach me.

-          Do well in this course if all these expectations (yours and mine) are fulfilled!

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If you notice any mistakes regarding this syllabus (dates, etc.), please notify me. Thank you.

Changes to this syllabus will be announced in class as necessary (another good reason to attend all classes)!