MUSC 117 World Music Cultures

Syllabus

(2010/Winter - Online)

Instructor: Bob Adams

E-mail: bob.adams@bellevuecollege.edu

Phone: 425-564-3081

Office location: A102

Office Hours: Flexible. Please email me through Blackboard Vista if you have any questions at all.

Course Information

Course Outcomes

After completing the course, students should be able to:

· Describe and identify in detail musical styles in many cultural contexts

· Analyze various elements in the relationship between music and society in many cultures

· Describe how the music they enjoy and listen to is a part of, and is emblematic of, their culture and social milieu

· Demonstrate a greater appreciation, understanding and respect for the diversity of musical styles throughout the world.

In addition to these formal goals, I intend for everyone in the course to:

· Acquire greater appreciation, understanding and respect for other cultures

· Enjoy the music

The course will be divided into eight units:

· Introduction to Music and Music Cultures

· Music of Sub-Saharan Africa

· North Indian (Hindustani) Classical Music

· Middle Eastern/Arabaic/Muslim Music

· Music of the Southeast Asian Gong Culture

· Music of East Asia

· Native American Music

· Global Fusion (including Caribbean origins)

How Outcomes will be met

The learning objectives of the course will be met through 1) reading, 2) listening to and viewing musical performances, 3) classroom discussion, and 4) written assignments, including individual reflections on personal insights and an exploration paper on a music culture of the student’s choosing.

Grading

There will be two exams: a mid-term and a final. Exams will include identification and discussion of music samples; multiple choice and other ‘objective’ questions, and short-answer essay questions, and each will be worth up to 100 points.

A reflection paper (about 500 words) will be due at the end of most units, on a topic to be assigned when the unit begins. Each will be worth up to 15 points.

An exploration report of 1,500 words, exploring a music culture other than your own and based primarily on an interview of a musician from that culture (preferably done on-line, so you can connect with someone living in another country), is due by the day of the final exam. It will be worth upt 100 points.

The intercultural understanding we’re pursuing in this course will come more easily if everyone shares their insights and experiences, so a classroom forum discussion on a specififed topic will be assigned for most units. Each student will be expected to make at least three substantive contributions to each discussion, either as original posts or in response to those of others. Total possible points = up to 15 per discussion.

There will also be several opportunities to earn extra credit.

Grading scale

A+: 98-100%

A: 95-97%

A-: 92-94%

B+: 89-91%

B: 86-88%

B-: 83-85%

C+: 80-82%

C: 77-79%

C-: 74-76%

D+: 71-73%

D: 68-70%

D-: 65-67%

F: <65%

Books and Materials Required

World Music: A Global Jouney, 2^nd edition, by Miller and Shahriari (Routledge, 2009).

Classroom Learning Atmosphere

Instructor’s Expectation

No musical talent or prior music training is necessary for success in this course, but you do need to be willing to learn about some of the most basic concepts of music: rhythm, pitch, melody, etc.

You also will need to learn to recognize music samples from the cultures we cover. If you do the assigned listening, this will not be any more difficult than recognizing the music of your favorite bands.

In a traditional, in-class format, this course would meet for about 1 hour every day, and you would need to spend at least 1-2 additional hours each day on homework. Expect to invest the same amount of time in this online version of the course.

Affirmation of Inclusion

Bellevue College is committed to maintaining an environment in which every member of the campus community feels welcome to participate in the life of the college, free from harassment and discrimination. We value our different backgrounds at Bellevue College, and students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are to treat one another with dignity and respect. http://bellevuecollege.edu/about/goals/inclusion.asp

Division Statements

http://bellevuecollege.edu/lmc/links/copyright.html

A good resource for Plagiarism is the Writing Lab: http://bellevuecollege.edu/writinglab/Plagiarism.html

Student Code

Statement on unacceptable behavior:

“Cheating, stealing and plagiarizing (using the ideas or words of another as one’s own without crediting the source) and inappropriate/disruptive classroom behavior are violations of the Student Code of Conduct at Bellevue College. Examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to: talking out of turn, arriving late or leaving early without a valid reason, allowing cell phones/pagers to ring, and inappropriate behavior toward the instructor or classmates. The instructor can refer any violation of the Student Code of Conduct to the Vice President of Student Services for possible probation or suspension from Bellevue College. Specific student rights, responsibilities and appeal procedures are listed in the Student Code of Conduct, available in the office of the Vice President of Student Services.” The Student Code, Policy 2050, in its entirety is located at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/policies/2/2050_Student_Code.asp

Tips on how to avoid plagiarism:

http://bellevuecollege.edu/writinglab/Plagiarism.html

Important Links

Bellevue College E-mail and access to MyBC

All students registered for classes at Bellevue College are entitled to a network and e-mail account. Your student network account can be used to access your student e-mail, log in to computers in labs and classrooms, connect to the BC wireless network and log in to MyBC. To create your account, go to: https://bellevuecollege.edu/sam .

BC offers a wide variety of computer and learning labs to enhance learning and student success. Find current campus locations for all student labs by visiting the Computing Services website.

Disability Resource Center (DRC)

The Disability Resource Center serves students with a wide array of learning challenges and disabilities. If you are a student who has a disability or learning challenge for which you have documentation or have seen someone for treatment and if you feel you may need accommodations in order to be successful in college, please contact us as soon as possible.

If you are a person who requires assistance in case of an emergency situation, such as a fire, earthquake, etc, please meet with your individual instructors to develop a safety plan within the first week of the quarter.

The DRC office is located in B 132 or you can call our reception desk at 425.564.2498. Deaf students can reach us by video phone at 425-440-2025 or by TTY at 425-564-4110. . . Please visit our website for application information into our program and other helpful links at www.bellevuecollege.edu/drc

Public Safety

The Bellevue College (BC) Public Safety Department’s well trained and courteous non-commissioned staff provides personal safety, security, crime prevention, preliminary investigations, and other services to the campus community, 24 hours per day,7 days per week. Their phone number is 425.564.2400. The Public Safety website is your one-stop resource for campus emergency preparedness information, campus closure announcements and critical information in the event of an emergency. Public Safety is located in K100 and on the web at: http://bellevuecollege.edu/publicsafety/

Final Exam Schedule

Final Exam date: March 22-24, 2010 (an untimed, open-book exam)

Academic Calendar

The Bellevue College Academic Calendar is separated into two calendars. They provide information about holidays, closures and important enrollment dates such as the finals schedule.

Enrollment Calendar - http://bellevuecollege.edu/enrollment/calendar/deadlines/. On this calendar you will find admissions and registration dates and important dates for withdrawing and receiving tuition refunds.
College Calendar - http://bellevuecollege.edu/enrollment/calendar/holidays/0910.asp. This calendar gives you the year at a glance and includes college holidays, scheduled closures, quarter end and start dates, and final exam dates.