Students

MMCC1030 – Music in a Global Context

2026 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

Download as PDF
Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor and Lecturer
Veronica Stewart
veronica.stewart@mq.edu.au
Contact via veronica.stewart@mq.edu.au
Hub 191, 10 Hadenfeld Ave
Consultation by appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Approaching the study of music through the broad topics of traditions, instruments, industries and technologies, this unit situates and explores music in a global context. Students investigate how musicians create, adapt and perform music in various cultural, historical and global contexts, including in Western classical and diverse modern traditions and forms. The unit will also have an emphasis on the diversity of such musical practices and traditions in various contexts. A range of themes will be covered, including ideas of improvisation/composition, instrument structure/symbolism, the popularization of traditional practices, classical/folk/popular traditions, and the music of First Nations peoples.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: reflect on and analyse music in a global context.
  • ULO2: analyse and articulate the processes through which music is constructed and circulated.
  • ULO3: evaluate the connections between a music culture and broader political, social and cultural contexts.
  • ULO4: identify the value of music in the lives of communities in different places around the world.
  • ULO5:  engage creatively and ethically with musical cultures.

General Assessment Information

Late Submission of Assessments

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue.
    
This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic.
 
The Special Consideration application for can be found here: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/assessment-exams/special-consideration

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Creative work 50% No Week 8 tutorials Individual No Observed
Group Presentation 50% No Week 11 tutorials Individual and Group No Observed

Creative work

Assessment Type 1: Creative task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: Week 8 tutorials
Weighting: 50%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

Students will develop and present/perform a creative work demonstrating knowledge of and engagement with a global music style, integrating ethical practices and acknowledgement. Refer to iLearn for further information.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • reflect on and analyse music in a global context.
  • analyse and articulate the processes through which music is constructed and circulated.
  • evaluate the connections between a music culture and broader political, social and cultural contexts.
  • identify the value of music in the lives of communities in different places around the world.
  •  engage creatively and ethically with musical cultures.

Group Presentation

Assessment Type 1: Presentation task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 44 hours
Due: Week 11 tutorials
Weighting: 50%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual and Group
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Observed

Students will create and deliver an in-person presentation that focusses on a particular instrument, artist, or musical style, identifying relevant academic literature, examples, and musical works. Refer to iLearn for further information.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • reflect on and analyse music in a global context.
  • analyse and articulate the processes through which music is constructed and circulated.
  • evaluate the connections between a music culture and broader political, social and cultural contexts.
  • identify the value of music in the lives of communities in different places around the world.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • Academic Success for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

Delivery

There is one lecture and one tutorial per week. Lectures and tutorials begin in Week 1. Lectures will be delivered face-to-face and recordings will be available on echo360. It is expected that all students will have attended or viewed each lecture before they attend the associated tutorial. Online students can access the weekly tutorials via the Zoom link on ilearn. Please see iLearn for further information about delivery and resources in this unit.

Class Times

All lecture and tutorial times will be available in eStudent.

Unit Schedule

Topic schedule will be available on iLearn.

Late Submissions

Please see “Late Assessment Submission Penalty” above.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit https://students.mq.edu.au/support/technology/service-desk. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2026.02 of the Handbook