Music 1C Course Info Fall 2010
Welcome to Music 1C, Introduction to Music: World Music in America.
Introduction/Course Description:
This is an introduction into the discipline of music through World
Music. Students will acquire basic music listening and appreciation
skills by studying several music traditions of the world--the musics of
China, Indonesia, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and the Middle East,
Latin America--and their related musics in communities in the United
States.
The emphases of this course are
the elements of the musics themselves--their instruments, structural
elements, rhythm, melody, vocal characteristics, etc. We'll also look at
the agents of change and transformation that all musics undergo--How
have early European exploration, recording media and other technological
advances, and interaction with neighbors affected a community's music?
How do transplanted communities in the United States continue their
music traditions? We'll explore cultural and historical contexts, and
issues within and between music cultures. By shaping our discussion
around these themes, we can better understand not only the music of
others, but our own. The wealth
of music around the world is vast, and becomes more exciting as we
appreciate its meaning for those who make and enjoy it!
Required Materials:
Textbook: Alves, William. Music of the Peoples of the World, 2nd ed., with music CDs. Available at Bookstore.
Twelve 2052 Scantron forms, available at the Bookstore. These are the narrow, pink Scrantrons.
Prerequisite: Advisory: English Writing 1A or English as a Second Language 5. There are no musical prerequisites.
The
following guidelines are meant to help you succeed, and to enrich our
learning environment as much as possible. My hope is that the materials
we study, and the issues we discuss will contribute to a lifelong
interest and appreciation of the value and complexity of the musical
lives of the world’s peoples. COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
This is a four unit, General Education course. Be prepared to spend
adequate out-of-class time each week using and studying course
materials. The general ratio for out-of-class study vs. in class time is 2:1 For more information regarding the Carnegie Unit and study hours, click here
Attendance: Attendance at all class meetings is required, and essential to your success in the class.
- You
will be expected to be on time for each class and remain in class for
the entire meeting time. Arriving late or leaving early will be recorded
as a partial absence and will be reflected in your participation score.
- Each
absence will be reflected in your participation score. You may be
dropped after your second unexcused absence, up to the drop deadline.
Excused absences are documented severe illness, emergencies, religious obligation and legal duties only.
- Please communicate significant attendance issues with the instructor--extended absence, etc.
- On
the other hand, if you miss a class or two in a row, don't give up and
stop attending! While Ron's attendance policies are somewhat strict,
your success in this class and in college are his greatest goals--come
to an office hour and let's get you back on track.
Assignments: All multi-page written assignments must be stapled to receive credit. Concert Reports and extra credit work will by typed, double spaced, using 12-point font and MLA formatting.
- Weekly reading assignments and listening analysis
from the textbook, the supplemental CD, the Textbook publisher's
down-loadable computer program and the instructor's Catalyst Website:
Listening assignments are designed to better acquaint the student with
music and terminology. Check online course schedule for assignments and
due dates.
- Concert Attendance and Report: Attendance at one pre-approved
world music concert is mandatory, and a Concert Report combining your
experience with at least one outside source will be required. Details
and options are available online and will be discussed as the quarter
progresses. Be aware that concerts often occur during weekend
evenings--plan your schedule accordingly.
- The instructor will create a list of, and keep you updated
about, available concerts, emphasizing free and local concerts, but you
may have to travel as far as San Francisco or Berkeley to hear a
program.
- Office Hour visit: Office
hour visits are an important part of your educational
success--individual contact helps the instructor get to know you, and
personalizes your experience in a class. Often, difficulties can be
solved during a short visit to the instructor's office. Ron wants to
"jump-start" this relationship by requiring a quick visit during the
first three weeks of the quarter. This assignment is worth 10 points. No
appointment is necessary, and special times can be arranged if
necessary,
Deadlines: All written assignments are due at the start of class time and will be penalized 25% for every calendar day they are late--an assignment is late after the first five minutes of class
- Your lowest Reading/Listening Assignment will be dropped from your total score.
- If you are absent from class on the due date for any assignment,
you will not receive credit for that assignment. (except for Concert
Reports--see instructor for details on receiving full credit on Reports)
- Ron does not accept emailed assignments--hard-copies only, please.
Extra Credit
can be earned by attending live world music concerts beyond the one
required, summarizing articles on world music topics, or by viewing
specific videos–by instructor approval.
• To receive credit (usually 5 points), you will need to submit a one-page response to the concert or video. Limit: two events or videos.
• Extra credit is applicable only for students whose grades are already at or above "C" level.
Quizzes and Exams: There
will be weekely quizzes (beginning week 2), and a mid-term and final
exam. You will need a 2052 Scantron form for each. Go to the bookstore
before the 2nd week of the class and purchase these items before they
are needed.
A Quiz will
be given on the first class meeting of each week. It will consist of
several multiple choce questions. The material will covered will be for
the assigned reading for each week, prior to our discussion of it. The
intent is to have you read and listen to materials before we discuss
them; this will help in your ability to participate in classroom
discussion.
Exams will be
a combination of short answer, essay, multiple choice, and recording
identification questions. questions will be drawn from study guides,
Listening Assignments and classroom discussion. Completed Outlines/study
guides guides can be turned in at the time of exams for additional
credit toward the exam--details forthcoming. The final exam will take
place during Final Exam Week. The tests are not comprehensive.
Exam makeup: One makeup exam can be taken, which will be initiated by the student. Think wisely before deciding to miss an exam: In the words of one of my own undergraduate history professors, “a makeup exam should be a memorable experience!”-- Makeup exams will consist of essay questions and listening responses.
Tentative scoring
Course Information quiz
|
6 points
|
6
|
Preparation and active in-class participation
|
40 points
|
40
|
Office hour visit during first three weeks of quarter
|
10 points
|
10
|
Listening Assignments
|
10 points each (lowest score dropped)
|
80
|
Tests
|
50 points each
|
100
|
Concert Report and research
|
50 points
|
50
|
|
Total
|
286
|
Academic integrity: Ron
believes strongly in the principle of academic integrity--it is the
foundation of education, and a mirror of your own values and ethics. Thus, you must do your own work: Cheating on any quiz, test or assignment will constitute a “0” on that assignment, a report to College Administration and possible dismissal (and failure) from the course. If you cheat and I catch you, you will suffer.
See De Anza College policies on academic integrity in the college catalog. All Assignments must be in your own words, even when using textbook-based information.
• When working with study groups on assignments, do not use the words of your classmates. Assignments must show independent thinking and work.
• Concert Reports must not use text from the program unless quoting directly, and then, only briefly, and with citation.
Any breach of these guidelines is considered cheating or plagiarism, serious academic offenses.
On Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the unacknowledged borrowing of information, wording, organization, or ideas. Whether
the original source is public (e.g., a newspaper or critical article)
or private (e.g., a classmate's paper), indebtedness in any of the above
areas needs to be indicated. Where the exact language of
the source is repeated, the borrowed material must be treated as a
quotation and be placed within quotation marks. However, by merely changing a few words or the word order or by paraphrasing, plagiarism is not avoided. There is nothing wrong in acknowledging an intellectual debt to someone. The
reader is only concerned that something new has been said about the
material, which was used, that it contributed in some way to the
development of the ideas written. To assemble material without developing it in any way is a waste of the writer's and the reader's time. The
danger of plagiarism is not the pain of discovery, for which the
penalty is sure, but the delusion of accomplishment where there has been
none. ‑From handout by Department of English, Trenton State College
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