Module MUSI2011: INTRODUCTION TO ETHNOMUSICOLOGY

Department: Music

MUSI2011: INTRODUCTION TO ETHNOMUSICOLOGY

Prerequisites

• Readings in Musicology (MUSI1181) OR Historical Trends and Issues in The 17th and 18th Centuries (MUSI1231)

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• This course, subtitled "A Survey of the World's Music", introduces a wide variety of musical traditions from around the world, exploring their key musical features and the cultural contexts within which they have developed. In the process of exploring the varied traditions, the course introduces case-studies by many influencial ethnomusicologists as well as the themes and issues that have been major preoccupations within the discipline, both historically and today. The course serves 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

• Reflecting the diversity of approaches to music making that exist in the world and highlighting the various roles that music serves in human life, the course explores traditions from a wide variety of cultures, systemically examining examples from many different geographical locations, including the Far East, South East Asia, the Americas, the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will develop a broad understanding of ethnomusicological scholarship and understand the significance of using relevant research techniques for their specific area 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, students 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