MUS 340 : Sound, Style and Syntax

Creative Arts and Industries

2024 Semester One (1243) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

A study and in-depth analysis of repertoire from the eighteenth to the twenty-first centuries.

Course Overview

We will analyse a wide range of repertoire, concentrating on music written during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to the present day, and analytical method will be eclectic rather than systematic. Teaching will be primarily be seminar style, via presentations, normally relatively brief, by both teacher and students, on various pieces and movements, and responses and discussions arising from these.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: MUS 140 and 201, or 143 and 204

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Music

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate a command of advanced precepts of voice leading and tonal, post-tonal and atonal harmony. (Capability 3.1)
  2. Recognize basic formal typologies. (Capability 3.1)
  3. Interpret an unseen piece of music by making use of various analytical approaches and parameters. (Capability 4.1)
  4. Recognize complex forms of harmonic prolongation and melodic diminution. (Capability 3.1)
  5. Display adaptability and resource when confronting the many different styles of music written during these centuries. (Capability 5.1)
  6. Write clearly and persuasively. (Capability 4.1)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Assignments 60% Individual Coursework
Final Exam 40% Individual Examination
Formative Assessment Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5 6
Assignments
Final Exam
Formative Assessment

Assignments are to be submitted, according to submission type specied on CANVAS, by the due date. In the event of illness or other circumstances that prevent completing an assignment, please contact the course coordinator with evidence as appropriate before the due date. Late assignments that do not have an approved extension will be penalized 10% for each day or part thereof. No assignment will be accepted after that assignment has been returned to students.

Teaching & Learning Methods

Teaching will be primarily be seminar style, via presentations, normally relatively brief, by both teacher and students, on various pieces and movements, and responses and discussions arising from these.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard fifteen-point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each fifteen-point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 36 hours of teaching, 72 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 42 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at seminars.
Attendance on campus is required for tests.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

There are no set texts. Recommended reading includes:

Cook, Nicholas.    A Guide to Musical Analysis. London: Dent, 1987.
Forte, Allen.        Tonal Harmony in Concept and Practice. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1962.
Green, Douglass M.    Form in Tonal Music: An Introduction to Analysis. Second edition. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1979.
Laitz, Steven G.    The Complete Musician: An Integrated Approach to Tonal Theory, Analysis, and Listening, third edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.
Meyer, Leonard B.    Emotion and Meaning in Music. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1956.
Rothstein, William.    Phrase Rhythm in Tonal Music. New York: Schirmer, 1989.
Schoenberg, Arnold.    Fundamentals of Musical Composition. Edited by Gerald Strang and Leonard Stein. Faber: London, 1970.
Tovey, Donald.    Essays in Musical Analysis. Six volumes. London: Oxford University Press, 1935-1944.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Changes have been made to the course based on previous student feedback.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

Published on 25/10/2023 11:13 a.m.