Prof. Nancy Rogers Spring, 2013 MWF 12:20 Florida State University MUS 3934-01 KMU 202
THE AMERICAN MUSICAL
How to reach me Office: Longmire 406 Office hours: Monday and Wednesday 2:30-3:20; Friday 11:15-12:05. You are also welcome to make an appointment for a different time or simply drop by. I am often in my office on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Phone: 644-4142 (office); 562-2733 (home) E-mail: [email protected] (or through Blackboard) Paper mail: Leave a note on my bulletin board (beside my office door) or in my faculty mailbox (next door to the Kuersteiner Lounge). Class website: Accessible through Blackboard (http://campus.fsu.edu). The class website includes assignments, information about exams and projects, and other useful information.
Course description and objectives This seminar surveys the American “book” musical, focusing on selected Broadway musicals of the twentieth century. We will become familiar with a variety of musicals, analyzing specific songs and their function within the show, while also placing each show in a broader social context. Along the way, we will learn about some of Broadway’s most influential figures (performers, composers, choreographers, etc.). Class activities will include lecture, discussion, and student presentations. There will be regular reading and listening/viewing assignments, short written analytical assignments, occasional brief quizzes, two listening exams, and a final project. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of common-practice harmony and form by analyzing selected music from significant Broadway shows. After studying these Broadway musicals and discussing them in class, students will be able to identify excerpts on a listening exam and will be able to provide analytical information about them (e.g., harmonic features, motivic references, form, or significance to the plot). For the final project, students will apply the analytical techniques used in class to a Broadway musical of their choosing.
Works to be studied Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein Show Boat Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein Carousel Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein South Pacific Frank Loesser Guys and Dolls Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner My Fair Lady Frank Loesser The Most Happy Fella Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim West Side Story Page 2
Additional required reading Geoffrey Block, Enchanted Evenings: The Broadway Musical from Show Boat to Sondheim Ferenc Molnár, Liliom James Michener, “Our Heroine” and “Fo’ Dolla” from Tales of the South Pacific Andrea Most, “‘You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught’: The Politics of Race in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific,” Theatre Journal 52/3 (2000) Lyrics and scripts for all shows studied
Attendance The success of this class depends largely on student participation. We are all relying on you to prepare for class by completing the reading and listening assignments, thoughtfully reflecting on any discussion topics provided in advance, carefully preparing for your presentations, and so on. Your contributions to the discussion will be interpreted as an indication of your preparation. Regular attendance is therefore required; more than two unexcused absences will adversely affect your final grade. For each unexcused absence beyond the second, 3% will be deducted from your class participation grade. Excused absences include documented illness, deaths in the family and other documented crises, call to active military duty or jury duty, religious holy days, and official University activities. These absences will be accommodated in a way that does not arbitrarily penalize students who have a valid excuse. Consideration will also be given to students whose dependent children experience serious illness. It is against College of Music policy for juries, rehearsals, accompanying duties, etc. to conflict with classes for which you are registered. Keep in mind, though, that no one can solve a scheduling conflict for you unless you first inform someone that the conflict exists. It is your responsibility to bring such conflicts to the attention of the appropriate person.
Students with disabilities This class complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: (1) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center; and (2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type. This should be done during the first week of class. This syllabus and other class materials are available in alternative format upon request. For more information about services available to FSU students with disabilities, contact the Student Disability Resource Center, 874 Traditions Way, 108 Student Services Building, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4167, (850) 644-9566 (voice), (850) 644-8504 (TDD), [email protected], http://www.disabilitycenter.fsu.edu/.
Grading components and policies Your overall grade for the semester will be calculated as outlined below. Daily work (assignments, quizzes, and class participation) 45% Listening exams (two — 15% each) 30% Final project (5% for presentation, 20% for paper) 25% Page 3
You will be given frequent reading and listening assignments; occasional short quizzes will address these reading and listening assignments. Because everyone has a bad day now and then, your lowest quiz grade will be dropped when calculating your overall average. Please be aware that for the listening exams you should be prepared not only to identify the composer and musical but also to discuss the significance of the specific excerpt you hear (e.g., its compositional features, its dramatic function, what it reveals about the character singing, etc.). Unless you have made prior arrangements with me, any missed homework, quizzes, and exams will receive a 0 except in the case of a genuine emergency or significant illness (supported by a note from a health care provider). Letter grades will be assigned as follows: A 93-100 B- 80-82 D+ 67-69 A- 90-92 C+ 77-79 D 63-66 B+ 87-89 C 73-76 D- 60-62 B 83-86 C- 70-72 F below 60
Dates you will particularly want to remember Listening exam #1 Monday, March 4 Listening exam #2 Monday, April 22 Presentations of final projects Wednesday and Friday, April 24 and 26 Written portion of final project due Wednesday, May 1, noon If you have an unavoidable conflict with a listening exam or your presentation, you must let me know two weeks in advance so that we can schedule an alternate time.
Academic honor code and code of conduct The Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the University’s expectations for the integrity of students’ academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the process. Students are responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living up to their pledge to “… be honest and truthful and … [to] strive for personal and institutional integrity at Florida State University.” (Florida State University Academic Honor Policy, found at http://dof.fsu.edu/honorpolicy.htm.) In this class, homework should be completed independently; collaborative efforts will not receive credit. All work submitted for this course must be original to the course and to you. You are also expected to uphold the principles of the FSU Student Conduct Code; violations will not be tolerated. The Conduct Code prohibits “acts that impair, interfere with, or obstruct the orderly conduct, processes, and functions of the University or the rights of other members of the University community. This includes acts that occur both inside and outside of the classroom setting and may involve use of electronic or cellular equipment.”
Syllabus Change Policy Except for changes that substantially affect evaluation or the exam schedule, this syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change. You will receive advance notice.