MUSGEN 1004 - Musics of the World I

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2024

An introduction to the music and performance of selected world cultures. Music is presented as a form of cultural expression which can be understood in both social and music-stylistic contexts. Students will gain an appreciation of culturally distinct elements of music as well as its more universal qualities. The music and cultural examples we explore draw from select regions of the world (including Australia, Africa, East Asia, Southwest Asia, North America and the Carribean) and range from ancient ceremonial practices, to traditional court- and folk traditions, to contemporary forms of 'world music' and pop.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code MUSGEN 1004
    Course Musics of the World I
    Coordinating Unit Elder Conservatorium of Music
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Incompatible GENMUS 1003, MUSGEN 2004, MUSGEN 3010, MUSST 1000B
    Assessment 1500 word written assignment, Exam 1, 1000 word written assignment, Exam 2
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Mr Stephen Whittington

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes

    On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

    Understand and appreciate a wide range of cultural and stylistic diversity as evidenced in different traditional and contemporary music-cultural settings

    Demonstrate aural familiarity with music of a select number of music cultures

    Develop aural awareness and critical listening skills through assigned- and in-class listening

    Demonstrate ability and confidence to provide clear and meaningful descriptions of the relationship between music and culture.

    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)

    Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth

    Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.

    1, 2, 3

    Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving

    Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.

    1, 3, 4

    Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills

    Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.

    4

    Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness

    Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.

    1, 2, 3, 4

    Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency

    Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.

    1, 2, 3

    Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence

    Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.

    1, 3, 4
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    Assigned readings are available in the Course Readings area of the MyUni course.

    Additional required reading links may be posted in MyUni

    Required Listening materials will be made available to students as .mp3 audio files or links in MyUni

    IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THIS COURSE OUTLINE and MYUNISome of the material that you are required to know for this course may be found on pp. 5-7 of this course profile. This material, which will be referred to in some of our lectures, includes the following:

    • Musical Instruments for Study (p. 4) -- this list a subset of musical instruments discussed in the course that students are required to be familiar with. Photographs of these instruments are available in the Course Content folder of the MyUni course.
    • Guide for Critical Listening (p. 5)
    • 'Four Components of a Musical Culture' (p. 6)
    Recommended Resources
    A wealth of relevant material including journals, reference materials, and online sound and video resources, are available via the University Library's Music Database page: http://libguides.adelaide.edu.au/music/databases
    Online Learning
    MyUni will be used to provide details of lecture and seminar content, set readings, and assignment instructions, as well
    as for assignment submission and announcements.

  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes

    Lectures will address the information and aims set out in the Course Description. There are no tutorials for this course; however lectures will include opportunities for questions/answers and limited open discussion. The lectures will also involve playback of audio and video examples. The in-class audio-visual material is a key component of the course content, the consumption and understanding of which is as important as for the spoken portion of the lecture and the readings.

    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    In addition to the 3 contact hours per week, it is anticipated that students would spend 6-8 hours per week in reviewing lecture notes, preparing the assigned readings and assigned listening, undertaking suggested readings and listening, revising for exams, and researching and writing the course essay.

     

    Learning Activities Summary
    The following schedule is indicative of the topics in this course. Some topics and ordering of topics may vary.

    Week 1
    Introduction to the Course; Understanding 'Music in Culture'; Basic Music Terminology

    Week 2 Classification of Musical Instruments; Traditional Music of Ghana

    Week 3 Africa and 'World Music', Contemporary African Music in Adelaide

    Week 4 Aboriginal Music of Northern Australia

    Week 5 Aboriginal Music of Northern Australia

    Week 6 Writing about Music and Culture

    Week 7 Traditional and Contemporary Music in Japan

    Week 8 Traditional and Contemporary Music of Vietnam; Music and Migration

    Week 9 Classical Music of India

    Week 10 Indian Film Music; Indian Classical Music and 1960s Western Pop

    Week 11 Afro-Latin Popular Music

    Week 12 Tejano (Tex-Mex) Music; Course Summary & Review for Exam #2
    Specific Course Requirements
    There are no additional course-specific requirements.
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary

    Assessment Tasks

    Weighting

    Date

    Learning Objective

    Written Assignment 1

    15%

    This 500-word paper is due Week 3

    1, 2, 3, 4

    Exam #1

    20%  

    This 45-minute exam will be held during class time in Week 6

    1, 2, 3

    Written Assignment 2

    30%

    This 1000-word paper is due Week 11.

    1, 2, 3, 4

    Exam #2

    35%  

    This 75-minute exam will be held during class time in Week 13  

    1, 2, 3

    Assessment Related Requirements

    Attendance and participation requirements

    Lectures: Active presence at all the lectures is expected. Because the lectures are information-dense, students are advised to take notes during lectures (personal audio recordings of lectures are also allowed). Students who miss lectures will likely not perform as well on exams due to inability to make up for missed information. If you are unable to attend a given lecture due to illness, I recommend that you obtain a copy of notes from another student who was present at that lecture.

    Test and Exam Attendance: All students are required to sit the tests and exam on the scheduled dates. No exceptions will be made except on certified medical grounds or on professional/compassionate grounds if approved by the coordinator well in advance of the scheduled exam.

    Assessment Detail

    Exams #1 and #2

    Both exams will consist of a combination of short answer questions (e.g., involving one sentence answers), multiple-choice questions, and questions requiring one- or two-paragraph responses. The exams will assess material covered in course lectures, assigned readings, and assigned listening.

    Exam #1 will cover lectures and readings and listening associated with the start of the course through end of Week 5.

    Exam #2 will focus primarily on lectures and readings from Week 7 through the end of the semester but will also assess some of the content from the earlier part of the course. Exam #2 will only assess required listening items assigned for Weeks 7-12.

    Students are required to sit both exams as scheduled. No exceptions will be made except in the case of certified medical or compassionate grounds. If you are ill on the day

    Written Assignments

    Both the 500-word and 1000-word assignments will involve writing about the relationship between music and culture. The first of these assignments should only reflect the student’s own ideas at this point in time and should not involve any external research. The main task is to clearly express your ideas, whatever they may be. The 1000-word assignment should also focus on the student’s own ideas, but should also incorporate relevant ideas from our course readings and lectures. Instructions for these assessments will be distributed and discussed in Week 1 and Week 6, respectively.

    Submission
    Final version of the essay should be uploaded in MyUni by the due date.

    Late assignment policy:
    Late written assignments will be accepted to a maximum of 7 days late with a late penalty of 2 marks per calendar day applied.

    Extensions without penalty may be granted when supporting documentation can be provided and then, and only then, by arrangement with the course lecturer prior to the due date and time. Extensions will not be granted under any other circumstance. To apply for an extension, use the medical/compassionate application form available at:

    http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/3303/?dsn=policy.document;field=data;id=7446;m=view

    Students will receive feedback on their assessment tasks.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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