M04: Survey in World Music

Spring 2021

Instructor: David Castañeda
Email: dcastaneda@vcccd.edu
Online Office Hours: Wed. 12PM-1PM

Student Learning Outcomes

Identify musical features of: Melody, that is, contour as conjunct or disjunct, and elementary notational principles; b) Rhythm as duration of sounds as short or sustained, and related aspects of beat, rhythm, and tempo; texture, defined as simultaneous sounds such as monophonic, polyphonic, heterophonic; d) Form, as the organization of sound in time, such as ABA, strophic, through-composed; and e) timbre, as instrumentation according to the universal classification system of instruments.
Recognize country of origin and describe musical styles based on the above characteristics. Compare and contrast musical characteristics of different cultures.
Examination of issues that are raised when inquiring into the unfamiliar expressions of other cultures. Recognizing "ethnocentrism" and bases of judgment as music of non-Western cultures reflects social activities of that culture.
Relate musical performance to its broader social context, as music is connected to activities, such as work songs, love songs, storytellings, ritual, social comment, games, lullabies, and word-play.
Students completing Survey of World Music (MUS M04) will recognize and identify musical styles and stylistic characteristics representing various cultures.

The Online Learning Environment

Remember that this course will be entirely online, meaning that we will not be meeting at all in person and there will be no scheduled meeting times. This may differ from your in-person classes in many ways, mainly that you will be doing all of your coursework, lecture attendance, discussion assignments, and exams online. This may prove exhausting for some students, so as a way to help you avoid “online fatigue” the lectures will be pre-recorded in 20-90 minute videos and uploaded to the canvas every week. These videos will be uploaded Mondays and Wednesdays. It is imperative that you remember to do all course assignments and to submit them as they are due, to do all readings prior to lecture for that week, and to make sure to watch all lecture videos.

It is recommended that you spend about 10 hours per week on this course. The most successful students login daily. For this course, you are required to log in to our course through http://vcccd.instructure.com (Links to an external site.) and the Canvas link at least twice a week. Being too busy with other classes or work, going out of town, or simply neglecting to login is not an acceptable excuse for not participating in class at least twice a week.

Making sure to do all of these things will ensure you keep up with all course objectives and successfully complete the course. If you might have any questions, feel free to drop into my weekly office hours Wed. 12PM-1PM (please be sure to email me by 4PM the Tuesday before if you'll be coming to office hours) and/or email me at dcastaneda@vcccd.edu.

Access Statement:

Students with disabilities, whether physical, learning, or psychological, who believe that they may need accommodations in this class, are encouraged to contact ACCESS as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

Authorization, based on verification of disability, is required before any accommodation can be made. The phone number for ACCESS is 805-378-1461 and they are located in the building just to the right of the Campus Center.

Title IX/Sexual Misconduct:

Members of Moorpark College (MC) community, guests, and visitors have the right to be free from sexual misconduct and any other form of sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination and violence. MC does not tolerate sexual misconduct, which includes, but is not limited to: Sexual harassment (in person, by text, or online), Domestic violence, Dating violence, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Sex/Gender based Hate Crimes. If you or someone you know at MC experience or witnesses Sexual misconduct, you can report it to any employee and your case will be investigated. If you would like to discuss the matter with someone confidentially/anonymously, you may visit the student health center and discuss the matter with a counselor. All other employees of the college are mandated reporters, should an incident or sexual misconduct occur. Please visit the campus website on TIX for additional information and guidance.

Required Materials

All readings will be available online via Canvas.
There are no textbooks or readers required for this course.

Evaluation

Listening Exams (20%)
There will be a listening exam at the end of every module. Students will prepare for these exams by studying the listening lists provided (there will be a list for every module). Listening techniques and recommended practices will be discussed in lecture. It is highly recommended that students study the listening list daily; "cramming" will not work.
Discussion Posts (20%)
There will be discussion posts that students will be responsible for completing every week. In these discussion posts, students are to provide substantial (more than 250 words) reactions to the listening lists, their peers’ thoughts, or their own reactions to pertinent course materials.
Concert Report (20%)
Students will be expected to complete a concert report by the end of the term. It is highly recommended that students complete the report towards the end of the term, once active listening skills, analytical skills, and conceptual understanding of musical phenomena have been developed. The performance may be watched via YouTube or some other online platform, but it must be the entire performance; concert reports should not be completed using “clips”. These reports will be no more than three pages in length, in which the student will describe the type of music being played, the demographic of the audience, instruments, and other pertinent details. Students should see the concert report as an opportunity to apply concepts and analytical techniques discussed in lecture and in readings. See “Concert Report Guide” for more information on successfully completing this assignment.
Final Project (40%)
Students will be required to produce a final project due Wednesday (5/12). Students will be required to use at least five sources (not including any assigned readings or videos) in their project, describe the origins and development of the music in question, refer to literature we've discussed in lecture, and conduct outside research. Methods for conducting successful ethnographic and research papers will be discussed in lecture and well in advance of the end-of-term due date.

Students are free to choose one the following formats:

Ethnographic project — The student will conduct interview(s) concerning a type of music of their choice. This project will be no less than five pages, and no more than ten pages in length.
Research Paper — The student will conduct research concerning a type of music of their choice. This project will be no less than five pages, and no more than ten pages in length.

Late work

Late assignments receive a 10% deduction per day.

Grade Scale

A+ 100%

A 93-99%

A- 90-92%

B+ 87-89%

B 83-86%

B- 80-82%

C+ 77-79%

C 73-76%

C- 70-72%

D 60-69%

F 0-59%

Drop Policy:

If a student must drop this class, do so online or with Registration and Records (R&R)