THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN UGS 302 Songwriting: Following in the Footsteps of Texas Legends Fall 2019 POLICY STATEMENT AND SYLLABUS InstruCtor TeaChing Assistant ProfEssor MoorE [email protected] Office hours: T 1 – 3:45 Or by appointment in the Cactus Café 512 413-8677 Class Meeting time: TTH 3:30 – 5 Class Meeting location: MAI 220A SignaturE CoursE Mission: The Signature Courses at the University of Texas at Austin will connect students with distinguished faculty members in uniQue learning environments. By way of this rigorous intellectual experience, students will develop college-level skills in research, writing, speaking, and discussion through an approach that is both interdisciplinary and contemporary. CoursE DEsCription: Song is an art form that engages the mind, body, and creative spirit of listeners as well as musicians. Texas songwriters such as Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and Nanci Griffith have written songs on their own terms rather than shape their art to fit the demands of Nashville, New York, or Los Angeles. Outside the mainstream of country or popular music, this uniQue community of artists is a wellspring of iconoclastic creativity. This course allows you not only to study that group, but also to join it as songwriters yourselves. The course will follow two primary tracks. The first will involve analysis and study of songs by Texas songwriters. The second track will work like a creative writing workshop with students writing songs and critiquing each other's songs. CoursE ObjECtivEs: The objectives of the class are to teach students to • analyze and think critically about songs; • find and use credible sources for academic research; • understand the tools that songwriters use to craft songs; and • write and revise original songs. SignaturE CoursE EssEntials: Information LitEraCy: One of the major assignments in the course is a research project on a Texas songwriter or a trend in Texas music. This project is an academic research project and reQuires students to collect credible sources and synthesize information from those sources into a responsible presentation of the research. Writing: Because one significant focus of UGS Courses is communication skills, the major assignments in the class are assignments that help students develop analytical and creative skills as writers. These assignments include freewriting exercises, reflection papers, an analysis of a song, an annotated bibliography on, and four songs. 1 Oral CommuniCation: The class depends on respectful discussion of the readings and songs we are studying. Students will do a formal oral presentations will include a presentation to the class on a research project and present of original songs to the class. UnivErsity GEMS: One goal of the Signature Course program is to introduce first-year students to the world-class resources, such as the Harry Ransom Center, the LBJ Library, and the Blanton Museum, available to them at the University of Texas. We will fulfill this reQuirement in two ways. 1. We will have class in the Blanton Museum on October 22 2. In addition, you are reQuired to attend at least one musical performance or open mic at the Cactus Cafe. Jeremy or I will be at the open mic. You should make sure we know you’re there. You need to turn in a brief description of the open mic or performance you attend that includes a list of six performers and the titles of at least three songs that were performed, UnivErsity LECturE SEriEs: Signature Course students are reQuired to attend a lecture on campus. This reQuirement gives students an opportunity to interact with leading members of our institution — nationally and internationally renowned scholars, scientists, artists, and civic leaders. You should make plans to attend the following lecture: Defendant…How Do You PlEad? A Look Into thE AmEriCan JustiCE SystEm Dr. Jim Patton, Department of Special Eduation; Prof. Jordan Steiker, School of Law; Dr. Mary Rose, Department of Sociology Sept. 23 | 7-8 p.m. | Bass Concert Hall If you are unable to attend, you must listen to the tape of the lecture and take a short quiz over the lecture. RequirEd ListEning • Townes Van Zandt Live at the Old Quarter • Listening List compiled by instructor Reading RequirEd: • Pattison, Pat. (2009) Writing Better Lyrics. Writers Digest Books: Cincinnati, OH. • Lyrics to songs on the Listening List • You will occasionally need to download the lyrics and chords to particular songs from one of the many resources on the web such as UltimateGuitar (http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/0 or CowboyLyrics (http://www.cowboylyrics.com/index.html). • Other readings will be handed out in class or posted on Canvas. ReCommEndEd: • Strunk, W., Jr. (1999). The Elements of Style. (Original work published 1918) Retrieved from http://www.bartleby.com/141/. I recommend purchasing the songs on the Listening List from ITunes, but you can also listen to them on YouTube and may benefit from finding different performances 2 of the same song. You should read the lyrics (which will be posted on Canvas) and listen to each song. You are expected to keep up with reading and listening assignments so that you can participate in class discussion. ASSIGNMENTS The course will include the writing assignments described below: 1. Homework/in-class exercises/informal assignments/reflection papers: Included in this category are object writing exercises, worksheets, peer critiQues of other students’ songs, a description of the performance you attend, and a personal reflection on a song that had a powerful effect on you. Other homework assignments to be announced. 2. Reflection papers and in class writing Included in this category is a personal reflection on a song that had a powerful effect and an analysis of why. 3. Quizzes. You will have Quizzes over Townes Van Zandt Live at the Old Quarter, the Listening List, and the readings. 4. essay analyzing a song on the listening list. You will analyze a song (or songs) and write a thesis-driven essay in which you use close reading of the song to gather specific evidence to support your argument. You will be given a list of songs from the listening list that you can use for this assignment. You can propose another song by one of the writers on the Listening List if you have a good thesis to pursue. 5. Research presentation and annotated bibliography. You will work in a team to research a Texas songwriter or some trend in or historical aspect of Texas songwriting. From this research the group will create an annotated bibliography. each student will contribute a summary of at least five sources. The team will make an oral presentation to the class summarizing the research. You will be required to create a PowerPoint presentation in which sources are properly cited and listed in the bibliography. 6. Song portfolio. The portfolio will include lyrics of at least four original songs. One of these will be inspired by a piece of art. One of these will be a song co-written with another student in the class. Two of the songs must be fully realized, set to music, recorded, and performable for the class. The portfolio will include pre-writing exercises, the first draft, a copy of all the peer critiQues you received on the song, revisions, and recordings of at least two songs. You need to make a significant revision of at least one of the songs and write an explanation of what was useful in the peer critiQues, what you revised, and why you made the artistic choices you made. We will have a show at the end of the semester. each student will perform one of the songs he/she has written during the semester. The performance is a reQuired part of the portfolio. The portfolio will be graded on the basis of how seriously students have taken the writing process from pre-writing to revision and finally to performance. GRADING Your course grade will be based on your grades on written assignments and oral presentations. To pass the course, you must submit assignments before semester's end. I will not give any incompletes. Final course grades will be weighted as follows: 3 Homework/Exercises/Peer CritiQues/Reflection Papers 20% Quizzes 10% Essay 20% Research Project 20% Songwriting Portfolio 30% Class PoliCiEs: Cell phonEs and ComputErs: Two rules concerning the technology that enriches our lives: 1. Turn your cell phones off in class. 2. Turn the computer off if you are not using it to take notes or use it for a specific in-class assignment. I know it’s tempting to check your email, do a little social networking, and just keep up your multi-tasking skills, but please turn the computers off unless we’re doing a writing or research activity involving computers. AttEndanCE: Attendance is reQuired. If you miss more than three classes your grade may be lowered. UnivErsity PoliCiEs: Religious holy days: A student who misses classes or other reQuired activities, including examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day should inform the instructor as far in advance of the absence as possible, so that arrangements can be made to complete an assignment within a reasonable time after the absence. StudEnts with DisabilitiEs: Please notify your instructor of any modification/adaptation you may reQuire to accommodate a disability-related need. You may find out more information on the Services for Students with Disabilities website: http://diversity.utexas.edu/disability/ and/or http://diversity.utexas.edu/disability/how-to-register-with-ssd/ PoliCy on SCholastiC DishonEsty: Students who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University.