Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Andrew Alter
Contact via andrew.alter@mq.edu.au
|
---|---|
Credit points |
Credit points
3
|
Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
39cp
|
Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
Unit description |
Unit description
This unit introduces and examines music from a diverse range of cultures. It focuses on the many ways that traditional, contemporary and fusion music from around the world is thought about, performed and transmitted locally and globally. The unit also analyses the sociological and commercial representation of world music in the West. Particular emphasis is given to music and musical thought in both traditional and contemporary settings in South Asia, SouthEast Asia, West Asia, and West Africa.
|
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Due |
---|---|---|
Instrument Essay | 30% | Friday 11 April |
Fieldtrip Research Report | 40% | Friday, 23 May |
Participation/Performance | 30% | Throughout the semester |
Due: Friday 11 April
Weighting: 30%
Submission:
This assignment must be submitted using the Turnitin System on the unit website. In addition, a hardcopy of the assignment must be submitted to the assignment office in W6A with a cover page on which the Turnitin number is recorded.
Word Length: 1500
A list of instrument names (or types) is given below. Choose one of the instruments and discuss its/their structure and typology with reference to systems of instrument classification as discussed in class. Identify the major cultural contexts within which the instrument is most commonly used. Thereafter find a contemporary recording that uses that instrument in a 'non-traditional' setting. Identify that recording and suggest some reasons why the instrument was used. Your discussion should touch on the symbolic meanings attached to the instrument.
Mbira
Kora
Bouzouki
Sarangi
Er Hu
Lyra
Darabuka
Balafon
Suling
Use at least two sources that are either from published books, encyclopedias, or academic journals and ensure that you cite all of them at least once. A good essay demonstrates your ability to synthesize information from a variety of sources. You may use internet sources as well as published sources, but all sources must be cited appropriately. Ensure that you include a Reference List and that you use correct bibliographic style. Include your selected recording in your Reference List. If you use a wider selection of sources to support your discussion of symbolic meaning, this will be looked on favourably.
Due: Friday, 23 May
Weighting: 40%
Submission:
This assignment must be submitted using the Turnitin System on the unit website. In addition, a hardcopy of the assignment must be submitted to the assignment office in W6A with a cover page on which the Turnitin number is recorded.
During the semester, two live performances will be designated as fieldtrip events/concerts. Students must choose to attend at least one of the listed events (but of course they are welcome to attend both). The events will be in Sydney and will require students to travel to the venue in order to listen to the event/concert. We will attend the events as a group and attendance will be taken. Details of exact events and dates will be distributed as details become available.
It is likely that a jazz/Indian fusion event will be one of these, while a second will be a Greek Rembetika band who play regularly in Leichhardt.
The total length of the report should be 2,500 words. Prior to attending their chosen event, students must undertake independent research on the musical tradition that is at the core of the event. In the first 1,500 words of the report, students need to identify the tradition and provide a broad overview of its country/ies of origin; its major musical features; the most commonly used instruments in that tradition; and any other significant features that provide historical/cultural context for the performance. In the second 1000 words of the report, students should describe the event that they attended, including the venue, the performers, the instruments and the manner in which the music was performed. A final statement should discuss any ways in which the performance deviated from what might be considered to be normal for that particular musical tradition.
The report should contain a bibliography and appropriate citation to indicate how the preliminary research was undertaken.
Due: Throughout the semester
Weighting: 30%
The tutorials for the unit will mostly be practical performance sessions in different musical styles and culturs. Students must attend all tutorials and participate in the group rehearsals that occur. Three different performance assessments will be undertaken throughout the semester on different repertoire/traditions. Quizzes and tutorial attendance may also contribute to the mark.
The unit is offered internally and attendance at all lectures and tutorials will be taken. Tutorials will consist largely of practical sessions in which students will learn a variety of repertoire items from different musical traditions including Indonesia, Latin America, Papua New Guinea and West Africa. Readings for each week will be given in advance of each lecture and it is expected that students will read these. Readings may either be in a printed hard copy reader or online through the library. Details will be provided in the first class.
The iLearn website for the unit will be used to provide announcements, special study guides and other resources that will be useful for the completion of assignments and performance.
The final assessment task for the unit now includes more practical activities as suggested by previous unit evaluations. In addition, the second assessment task (Fieldwork Research Report) has replaced the pevious task which was an essay. This change was undertaken within a broader strategy of including more active learning tasks within the unit.
MUS 301 Lecture and Tutorial Topic Schedule
Week 1 (Friday March 7)
Lecture: ‘Worlds of Music: Introduction to the Subject’
Tutorial: YES! there are tutorials - Andrew Alter
Week 2 (Friday March 14)
Lecture: Idioms and Genres: Pitfalls and Assumptions
Tutorial: Tony Lewis
Week 3 (Friday March 21)
Lecture: Baluan Garamut in Performance and Analysis
Tutorials: Tony Lewis
Week 4 (Friday March 28)
Lecture: ‘Music and Migration: People and Instruments’
+ Discussion of Assignment 1
Tutorials: Tony Lewis
Week 5 (Friday April 4)
Lecture: ‘Understanding Sounds: South Asia’
Tutorial: Tony Lewis
Week 6 (Friday April 11)
Lecture: ‘The Guitar Travels the World’
Tutorial: Tony Lewis
Mid term break
Week 7 (Friday May 2)
Lecture: ‘Popular Music in South Asian Communities’
Tutorial: Tony Lewis
Week 8 (Friday May 9)
Lecture: ‘Commodification’
+ Discussion of Assignment 2
Tutorial: Tony Lewis
Week 9 (Friday May 16)
Lecture: ‘Music in Latin America’
Tutorial: Waldo Garrido
Week 10 (Friday May 23)
Lecture: ‘Music in Indonesia – I’
Tutorial: Andrew Alter
Week 11 (Friday May 30)
Lecture: ‘Music in Indonesia – II: Form and Elaboration Patterns’
Tutorial: Andrew Alter
Week 12 (Friday June 7)
Lecture: ‘Music in Indonesia – III: Popular Music and Personal Experiences’
Tutorial: Andrew Alter
Week 13 (Friday June 14)
Lecture: ‘World Music Discourses and discussion of my own research’
Tutorial: Andrew Alter
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
This graduate capability is supported by:
As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.
This graduate capability is supported by: