During these 8 weeks we will study the multiple ways in which music has meaning for people, both as members of social units and as individuals. The weekly readings are by Thomas Turino and other researchers of music in relation to society, community, and identity. They will be discussed with reference to actual examples of music from diverse cultures, and the assigned group tasks will draw upon diverse musical experiences (as listeners/fans, learners, performers or even composers of music) among members of the class.
Students will acquire the following knowledge in this course:
* Various representative viewpoints on the question 'why does music matter?'
* A set of terms and analytical concepts for thinking about how music has meaning for those who play or respond to it.
* How music functions to 'produce' individual and group or community identities.
society, participation, performance, identity, interpersonal and intercultural experience
Specialist skills | ✔ Intercultural skills | ✔ Communication skills | ✔ Critical thinking skills | Practical and/or problem-solving skills |
1. All students must read the assigned texts and listen to any assigned music extracts in advance of each class, and submit a short English summary of the reading.
2. Each week some student groups will prepare their own set of comments and discussion questions as a 'group reporting task'.
3. A written assignment of minimum 1,200 words (not including References list) must be submitted by Week 8.
Course schedule | Required learning | |
---|---|---|
Class 1 | Introduction to the course; key concepts; music in their lives. | Grasp course objectives. Discussion of one or more ‘music communities’ they have felt part of or are now involved in. |
Class 2 | Turino 2007, Chapter 1; Small 1998, 1-11 | This week some class members will have been assigned pages from the reading so as to prepare questions for discussion. |
Class 3 | Turino Chapter 2, pp23-51; Small 1998, 11-18 | From this week groups who have been assigned page numbers in the reading will bring questions and lead discussion. |
Class 4 | Turino Chapter 2, pp51-65 | Groups who have been assigned page numbers in the reading will bring questions and lead discussion. |
Class 5 | Turino Chapter 4, 93-116 only | Groups who have been assigned page numbers in the reading will bring questions and lead discussion. |
Class 6 | Turino Chapter 7, 210-224 only | Groups who have been assigned page numbers in the reading will bring questions and lead discussion. |
Class 7 | Turino Chapter 8 | Groups who have been assigned page numbers in the reading will bring questions and lead discussion. |
Class 8 | Review; written assignments due | In the assignment individuals should demonstrate understanding of some of the concepts and methods studied in texts by Turino and others. |
Music as Social Life, by Thomas Turino (University of Chicago Press, 2007)
Copies of some additional and optional reading materials will be provided by the instructor.
weekly participation 20%
group reporting task for those who opt to do them 20%
reading summaries 30%
writing assignment 30% for those who did group reporting; 50% for those who did not
Neither prior experience of the discipline of Musicology nor advanced knowledge of music theory is required. (If you are uncertain about this aspect, please ask the instructor by email before the class begins.) What IS required is an ability to listen deeply, a genuine love of music and an earnest desire to understand why human beings cannot live without it, as well as how we can think, talk and write about music coherently. Ability to read and discuss academic texts in English is also needed.