Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor, Lecturer and Tutor
Andrew Alter
Contact via email
Rm 169, Building Y3A
Any time by appointment
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
12cp at 100 level or above
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
One of the most distinctive features of the modern world is its sonic environment. Since the late 19th century we have been able to store and circulate sound on a mass scale, producing a sonic environment that is louder, more saturated and increasingly heterogeneous. We are overloaded with sound, making it one of the fastest growing causes of environmental pollution. Today we inhabit multiple and overlapping sonic worlds in a way once unimaginable. We define ourselves and our space acoustically and some of our most profound experiences are sonic. We will examine various aspects of sound, including its relationship with power, politics and technology. We explore what is unique about sonic experience; the history of sound; the production, distribution and consumption of sound; sound and music; sound and image; and sound and embodiment. We analyse the ways in which sonic experience challenges fundamental assumptions that underpin cultural studies including the mind/body split and the cultural construction of identity. This unit draws on a range of disciplines including sociology, media and performance studies, making it relevant to filmmakers, musicians, sound recordists, listeners, writers and to anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of human communication.
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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:
Feedback on assessments and student learning will be provided in a range of ways. Students will receive formal individual feedback on their assessments in the form of general, rubric, and in-text comments attached to assignments marked in Grademark/Turnitin. They may receive further individual feedback from the unit staff in email communication and personal consultations.
See the following MMCCS Session Re-mark Application Form: http://www.mq.edu.au/pubstatic/public/download/?id=167914
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Short Answer Task | 20% | No | 9 April |
Group Sound Project | 30% | No | 24 May |
Research Essay | 50% | No | 7 June |
Due: 9 April
Weighting: 20%
A list of short answer questions related to the concepts discussed in the lectures and readings for Weeks 1 - 6 will be provided via the iLearn site. Provide a short answer to each of the questions as required.
Due: 24 May
Weighting: 30%
During the early part of the semester students will be formed into small groups within tutorial sessions. Each group will create a "Sonic Idea" for presentation in Weeks 11 or 12. The Sonic Idea may take different forms depending on the group's interests and skills. Ideas might be inspired by one of the following:
Projects will be performed (or presented) in the tutorial sessions during Weeks 11 and 12. In addition, each student will submit a personal reflection of 500 words length on their project. The personal reflection should: 1) describe the project/event; 2) explain the ways sounds were created and structured in the event; and 3) briefly identify other inspirations that influenced the task. These may be other sound projects, other compositions or written sources of some kind. The written component of this assignment should be submitted through Turnitin by 11:50 pm on the due date shown.
The presentation and the personal reflection will each be weighted 50% for this assignment. A group mark will be awarded for the presentation while an individual mark will be awarded for the personal reflection.
Due: 7 June
Weighting: 50%
A series of questions will be uploaded to iLearn by Week 7 of the term. Write a 2000 word research essay in response to one of the questions given. Questions will require students to more fully explore one of the concepts from the Topic List for the semester. Students should read the questions carefully to answer the specific issue being raised.
Lectures and tutorials for the unit are compulsory. Lectures for the unit are at 2 pm on Fridays in Building Y3A, Rm 212. Tutorials are also in room 212 and are scheduled immediately after the lecture. Some sessions may be held elsewhere as announced.
Yes, there are tutorials in Week 1! Some of these may be combined with another unit to show students the facilities available for performance.
The reading list for the unit has been constructed using the Library's Leganto system. The iLearn site for the unit contains a link to the appropriate reading for each week's topic. You must click on the appropriate Leganto link to register for the reading list before you have full access to Leganto.
Announcements for the unit will be made using the iLearn site. Please ensure that you receive (and read!) the emails that will be generated through the announcement system.
The Assessment section of the iLearn website contains the Turnitin link for the submission of each assignment.
Week 1 (1/3): Introduction
Week 2 (8/3): History of Recording 1: Cylinders to LPs
Week 3 (15/3): History of Recording 2: The Studio as Creative Space
Week 4 (22/3): Philosophies 1: Existence as Vibration - Metaphysics, Sound, and Stories about Sound
Week 5 (29/3): Musical Structures 1: Sonic Textures
Week 6 (5/4): Philosophies 2: Sound and Embodiment
Week 7 (12/4): Musical Structures 2: Minimalism
Week 8 (3/5): History of Recording 3: Digital Disruption, Sound and Environments
Week 9 (10/5): Musical Structures 3: Sound and Hearing: The World of Listening and Intonation
Week 10 (17/5): Sound Futures: Installations and Interactive Spaces
Week 11 (24/5): Philosophies 3: Sound and Power
Week 12 (31/5): Musical Structures 4: The Voice
Week 13 (7/6): Preserving Dead Voices: Archiving Sound and Music and Sound in the Research World
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct
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 ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
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
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
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.
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 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:
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:
The unit in 2019 has been organized around three broad thematic approaches: The History of Sound Recording; Approaches to Music Structure; and Philosophies of Sound. These changes were made in response to student comments seeking more clarity in terms of unit topics.
Date | Description |
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04/02/2019 | I have changed the date for the first assignment |