Module MUSI2011: INTRODUCTION TO ETHNOMUSICOLOGY

Department: MUSIC

MUSI2011: INTRODUCTION TO ETHNOMUSICOLOGY

Prerequisites

• Music in Culture and Society (MUSI1171).

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• Introduction to Ethnomusicology is an exploration of the works of ethnomusicologists both historically and today.
• The purpose of the module is to cover the basic theoretical models with which ethnomusicologists are concerned and to offer the history of just how present day concerns came about.
• By looking at both general issues and the works of individual scholars, the course examines the major tenets that emerge and which can be used as a basis for a deeper understanding of music from the perspective not only of ethnomusicology, but also of social anthropology and cultural studies.

Content

• The module includes lectures on the work of leading scholars such as Eric von Hornbostel, Curt Sachs, Alan Merriam, Bruno Nettl, Anthony Seeger, Martin Stokes, and Ali Jihad Racy, among others.
• Although the precise content will vary from year to year the following subject areas my be taken as indicative: music "in" and "as" culture, music and human behaviour, sound structure and social structure, music and ritual, music and gender, music and identity, music and language, music and history, fieldwork, notation, transcription, organology, invention of tradition, and politics of music-making.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will develop a broad understanding of music scholarship and understand the significance of using relevant research techniques for their specific areas of interest.
• Different research perspectives from western musicology, anthropology, and ethnomusicology will enable students to assess the importance of music and the study of music in society.

• Notably, they will learn to evaluate music in its broader context, both as social fact and cultural artefact.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• A significant proportion of the course is "Knowledge-based", so it is appropriate to have a series of lectures that introduce key concepts in a highly structured and well ordered context, supported by exercises that call upon ancillary materials such as handouts and the study of relevant literature and recordings.
• These formative exercises embed key knowledge-based and critical concepts taught in lectures, and provide the basis for interactive discussions and appraisals of progress in tutorials.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Seminar presentation (10 minutes) in week 2 of Epiphany Term. Formative feedback for the book reviews in tutorials.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University