Syllabus MUS 334/MUS/380/AFR 374/LAS 326 Musics of Latin America Instructor: Robin Moore Instructor's office: MBE 3.210 Office Tel.—512 471-0373 Email: [email protected] Office hrs: Thurs 1-3pm or by appt. Class times: Tues-Thurs 11am-12:15pm Class location: MRH 2.634 Teaching assistant: John Bimbiras [email protected] TA office: *** TA office hrs: *** Lab location: MRH 4.126 Unique numbers and labs for Music (MUS 334): Lab Mon 5-6pm (30185) Lab Thurs 5-6pm (30190) For African and African American Studies (AFR 374F): Lab Mon 5-6pm (29875) Lab Mon 6-7pm (29885) For Latin American Studies (LAS 326): Lab Mon 5-6pm (38840) Lab Mon 6-7pm (38845) Description This survey course considers Latin American music within a broad cultural and historical framework. Latin American musical practices are explored by illustrating the many ways that aesthetics and society are embodied in and negotiated through performance. Our discussions will be framed by a range of concepts pertinent in Latin American contexts such as diaspora, colonialism, mestizaje, hybridity, migration, and globalization. The course carries a Global Cultures flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-U.S. cultural group, past or present. Readings One textbook has been ordered for the course, Musics of Latin America (W.W. Norton, 2012); it is available for purchase in the Coop, and several copies have been placed on reserve in the Fine Arts Library. In addition, a few assigned readings have been assembled from others sources. These are available through the course Canvas site. Listening Students are asked to listen to musical examples each week and will be responsible for recognizing and identifying them on exams; approximately three songs per lecture will be Music of Latin America syllabus, p. 2 assigned and should be reviewed before class. You will be asked to remember something about the histories, contexts, and meanings of the assigned music. Listening can be downloaded from the Canvas site for our class. Consider making notes that include the following information as you review to the assigned music: —The title of the piece and the composer, if known —The approximate time it was written, within a decade —The culture area/country with which it is associated —The lyrics of the piece, what they discuss —The instrumentation of the piece —The typical contexts in which it is performed —The formal musical characteristics that define it —Any broader issues discussed that relate to the piece Grading Policy Students are required to attend classes and labs, to keep up with the reading and listening and respond to readings on Canvas posts, to participate actively in discussion, to take exams on the assigned day, and to complete all assignments punctually. Grades for undergraduates will be determined on the basis of three in-class exams, other small assignments (a concert review, weekly postings to Canvas), a final brief oral presentation, class participation, and attendance. Out of approximately 450 total points, the three exams will constitute 60% of the student’s overall grade, the minor assignments 15% (postings 10%, concert review 5%), the oral presentation 10%, attendance 10%, and class participation 5%. In-class exams for students will consist of three parts: (1) the identification of key terms, ideas, or people; (2) discussion of assigned listening examples; and (3) a short essay on a topic related to class discussion. Students will be provided with a review sheet prior to a given test that lists key terms they are to be responsible for and possible essay topics. The essay will be evaluated in terms of the following five categories: clear organization, clear grammar/syntax, reference to assigned musical examples in support of arguments, use of relevant musical terminology from readings or class discussion, and full response to all aspects of the question posed. Undergraduates may opt to write an 8-10 pp. paper instead of taking one of the midterm exams or the final. If they choose the paper option, they should refer to the writing guidelines below for graduate students. Those planning to write a paper should provide the instructor and TA with a proposed topic and bibliography no later than week 5, and an outline by week 7. Concert Reviews As noted above, one written concert review is required of all students. The review should be 3 or 4 pages in length, typed and double-spaced. The overall goal of the assignment is that you experience music making live and develop an appropriate vocabulary with which to describe/discuss it. Please consult at least two written sources (at least one from the Fine Arts Library or online academic databases in addition to class readings) in order to acquire background information on the styles of music heard at the concert; they should be formally cited in the review. You should also try to conduct a brief interview with one of the performers following the event and incorporate what you learn from them into your review. See the “Extra Credit Options” section below about concerts for a listing of possible events to attend. Other concerts may be appropriate but require approval in advance from either the Instructor or TA. Please hand in your review no later than Tuesday of Week 15 unless special arrangements are made with the instructor. Music of Latin America syllabus, p. 3 Class Presentations You will prepare a final class presentation on Latin American music in a small group (usually 2-4 students) by researching a particular musical artist, genre, or national or regional musical style of your choice. The collective presentation should take about 15 minutes, with distinct segments presented by everyone in the group. Some portion of the presentation should discuss music per se: instruments, sounds, rhythms, etc., and the remainder should address topics such as historical background, contemporary social meanings, changes in style, accompanying dance, etc. The presentation should be accompanied by visual aids on Powerpoint or Keynote. These files should be given to the TA at the class meeting prior to the presentation so that they can be uploaded to a single computer. The talk may also include audio examples: recorded music, youtube video, or other sources (please also send these to the TA ahead of time as appropriate). Up to three minutes may be devoted to playing music. The presentations will be evaluated based on the following categories: clear organization, clear focus/framing of central issues, appropriate use of AV, incorporation of musical analysis/discussion, and staying within time constraints. Attendance Regular attendance is important because various activities that take place in class (the screening of video clips, musical demonstrations or performance opportunities, collective discussion, guest presentations, and so on) cannot be experienced through individual work at home. The same is true for attendance in discussion section. For that reason, attendance in both is mandatory. Attendance will be assigned approximately 45 points (10% of overall possible points), and after the first 3 unexcused absences by a given student each absence will result in 3 lost points. Class participation This grade will be based on meaningful participation in collective discussions. Meaningful participation is taken to be analytic engagement with the texts and course themes. Each student is expected to come to class prepared to participate actively in class discussions each week. Those students who take the initiative to engage critically with the readings and themes of the class and actively participate by sharing their thoughts on a regular basis will graded highly. Those who participate infrequently in class discussions will be graded down. Missed Test Policy Students are required to keep track of scheduled test days on the syllabus and to take tests when they are scheduled. Students missing tests without a medical excuse will not be allowed to make them up, so please don’t forget to come. Laptops, Tablets, Phones While you may bring your electronic devices to class for the purposes of note-taking or web browsing related to class activities, please do not abuse the privilege by using your device to email, IM, text message, update your social media, or browse the web in ways not related to class activity. It distracts your classmates and detracts from their learning experience as well as yours. A student seen to be engaged in such activity will earn no attendance credit for that day. Assignments for Graduate Students Graduate students who enroll in the course as MUS 380 will complete an individual project on a topic of their choice that relates to course content, in addition to their collective oral presentation. The individual project may consist of a performance (learning a new piece of music), a composition, musical analysis, a transcription, a Music of Latin America syllabus, p. 4 research paper, or any other project approved by the instructor. If written, individual projects should be roughly 12-15 pp. in length, excluding notes and bibliography. In addition, graduate music students are required to complete two additional tasks: First, they must transcribe and analyze approximately one minute’s worth of music related to the class listening. This task may be incorporated into and/or support their final project, or it may be separate. Second, they must learn to play and/or sing a representative piece or rhythm of repertoire unfamiliar to them that relates to the course. Again, this may be incorporated into to their final project or not, as they choose. Students may demonstrate their performance skills to the class as part of final class presentations if they wish.