Syllabus for:
Arts Core -- Music
 
ARTS 1C, SECT A (Course # 01003)  
 

University of California, Irvine
Spring Quarter, 2003

Course #  001003
four units policy on academic integrity
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30 p.m. – 4:50 p.m. sources for reading assignments
Room 100, Humanities Instructional Building course outline
instructor:
James Wierzbicki, Ph.D.
office: Room 103, Music & Media Building; (949) 824-3854
office hours: Wednesdays, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m..
Thursdays, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
or by appointment.
e-mail: jwierz@uci.edu  
course description:

This five-week segment of Arts Core 2003 will focus on the idea of music not as object but, rather, as activity.

 

Lectures will indeed contain “factual” material relating to music in all its many forms, e.g., the mathematical nature of musical intervals, basic principles of acoustics, a taxonomy of musical instruments, a systematic account of the elements of music. Lectures will also include an interpretation of the history of so-called art music in Western culture and a summary of the principles of tonality and musical structure that have dominated Western music since the mid-18th century.

 

The gist of the course, however, will be an examination through a “social filter” of musical experience in general. By means of lectures, demonstrations, readings, and multi-media materials, students in the music segment of Arts Core will be reminded of the various ways in which human beings participate in musical activity; by means of writing assignments, students will be encouraged to ask themselves how and why they personally engage with music. To borrow a phrase from the author of one of the required texts, it is a goal of this course to help students “be in a better position to take control of their musical lives.”

grades:
Grades will be based on the following scheme:
30 %    completion of weekly writing or listening assignments. (Note: Writing assignments will be collected by Arts Core teaching assistants at the end of the class sessions for which the assignments are listed in the course outline. Students turning in late writing assignments will be penalized.)
30 %  in-class, closed-book final examination based on material covered in lectures and reading/listening assignments.
40 %  final paper: an essay (ca. 2,000 words, typed or printed) that examines in detail the social aspects/implications of a musical event of the student’s choice. (Note: Final papers are due, in the instructor’s mailbox in Room 303 of the Music & Media Building, by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 11. Papers must be submitted in “hard copy.” E-mail submissions will not be accepted.)
policy on academic integrity:
Plagiarism of any kind is a violation of UCI policy on Academic Honesty, and penalties for plagiarism can be severe. Students are expected to attribute due credit to the originator of any ideas or words that are incorporated substantially into a student’s work. This applies particularly to the citation of sources for quotations that students include in their writings. Violations of this policy will be reported to the office of Academic Affairs for disciplinary action.