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Syllabus (Part 1) -- Very Important !

 

Syllabus (Part 1)

Music Appreciation (Music 105)

Spokane Community College -- 5 Course Credits

Course Developer:  David G. Such, Ph.D.

Instructor: David G. Such, Ph.D.

Office Hours: M-Th, 9:00 - 9:20 AM; 10:30-11:20 AM.

Office Phone: (509) 533-8911

Email: dsuch@scc.spokane.edu  (Only email your instructor at this address if your message is urgent. For all other cases, email your instructor through Canvas).

MY COMMITMENT REGARDING OUR ONLINE COMMUNICATION

As a course fully taught online, I place great importance on online communication with students and communicating with students in a prompt manner. I am online frequently to answer your questions, most often during the mornings, Monday through Friday. Hence, you can expect a reply to your email usually within 24 hours during weekdays. Emails posted on Friday will probably receive a reply the following Monday.

If you do not hear from me within the time period mentioned above, this means I have not received your e-mail, or it was not sent properly through Canvas. Also, sometimes technology can and does fail. If any of the above possibilities seems to be the case, please resend your email or telephone me. I enjoy communicating with you—but I can’t communicate with you if I don’t know that you’re trying to contact me.


MY EXPECTATION OF YOUR COMMITMENT TO OUR ONLINE COMMUNICATION

First and foremost, you need to have an updated e-mail address in Canvas. Next, not surprisingly, I expect that you will be online frequently. Please check e-mail at least every 48 hours, and every 24 hours during weeks that we have a major assignment due. I know many of you check far more often. If you have a computer or e-mail issue, or if your address is incorrect in Canvas, fix it immediately. I may send a personal e-mail if I need to get in touch with you regarding an assignment or an assessment. Saying, “I didn’t get your e-mail,” or “Sorry, I haven’t been checking my e-mail,” will not suffice as a reasonable excuse for any course-based situation. I have also been known to call students, so make sure there is current phone information on file with the college.

 
PREREQUISITES

1. You do not need a formal background in music or prior musical training to take this course. However, having this background will likely be helpful at different times throughout the course.

2. You must have basic computer skills for completing online assignments, including assignments that will be posted in Discussion Forum as well as the ability to learn and use Microsoft PowerPoint. You should also have the ability to Navigate web sites, including downloading and reading files from web site.

  • Download and install software or plug-ins such as Adobe Reader or Flash
  • Use email, including attaching and downloading documents/files from emails
  • Save files in commonly used word processing formats (.doc, .docx, .rtf)
  • Copy and paste text and other items on a computer
  • Save and retrieve documents and files on your computer
  • Locate information on the internet using search engines

3. You will need updated operating software and computer programs (especially Microsoft Office and probably QuickTime). You will also need the following:

  • Access to a computer (at home, school, or work), which you can use for, extended periods of time
  • Broadband Internet access (cable modem, DSL, or other high speed).
  • Latest versions of Firefox or Internet Explorer. Safari and Chrome are not compatible with Canvas.
  • Permissions/ability to install plug-ins or class software (e.g. Adobe Reader or Flash)
  • Highly recommended: up-to-date anti-virus software

4.  You will also need access to a media player (e.g., Media Player) that utilizes a real time read-out. In other words, the media player you use to play course listening examples must display minutes and seconds so that you can identify specific events in the song as they occur in real time.

5.  READING and WRITING SKILLS: The course includes weekly readings from an assigned text as well as readings from a variety of sources that will be included in Canvas. There will also be some graded writing assignments in Discussion Forum and in PowerPoint. Hence, you will need college level reading and writing skills to do well in the course.

5.  IMPORTANT REMINDERS ABOUT THE ONLINE FORMAT: Online classes offer a great degree of flexibility in student’s schedules. To succeed you must exercise good organizational skills along with a strong independent and self-motivating work ethic. In other words, I will not be standing before you each day (as in a traditional on-ground class) cheering you on or reminding you of assignments coming due. Remember, the more freedom that an online class offers, the more self-discipline is required on the student’s part. Though online classes offer flexibility in organizing one’s time, there are still deadlines and due dates that must be kept. Generally speaking, students and instructors agree that online courses sometimes tend to be more difficult and time intensive than their on-ground counterparts.

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Welcome to this fascinating exploration of music, all of it an important part of human experience and the unending desire to express oneself in creative and imaginative ways. The purpose of this course is to help students further enhance their appreciation for music as a creative tool of the imagination, as entertainment, and as a window into who we are as social beings. Part of the course also helps students to advance their listening skills, which leads to a better understand of what music actually contains. For this purpose, the course explores western classical music; American folk, popular and religious music; along with a sampling of music from non-western cultures.

Instructional Delivery: Course content is divided into modules. Each module includes text readings, listening examples, videos, and study/review questions. Thought provoking-discussion board topics, written assignments, Power Point presentations, and group projects are also included in some of the modules. Basically, students will work through one module after another, according to certain deadlines and due dates.


GLOBAL OBJECTIVES

1) Responsibility:
The course is designed to help students to achieve a certain level of responsibility for their own learning. For this purpose, throughout the course, students will participate in Discussion Forums intended to stimulate thought and one’s ability to interact with and learn from other students. The Discussion Forum assignments also encourage students to draw upon their own knowledge of music acquired over time through personal listening and apply this knowledge in a constructive and meaningful manner. These discussions may include topics, such as What Is Music?; What Is Good or Bad Music?; How Does Music Affect Emotions; How Is Music an Important Aspect of Culture; and How Has Technology Changed the Way People Listen to Music?

2) Communication:
The course is designed to encourage students to interact, communicate, and share ideas as they join small groups in Discussion Forum. Each group is assigned the task of composing an effective blues stanza that meets several criteria, including the AAB lyrical format and rhyme scheme. Submissions must also utilize imaginative similes to achieve a degree of wit. After choosing a leader responsible for overseeing the participation of all members, the group interacts, knocks around ideas, debates clever lines, and evaluates what and what not to include. All the while, members stay focused on what makes a blues stanza an effective lyrical and musical device.

3) Problem-solving:
Throughout the course, assignments challenge students to apply problem-solving techniques in order to enhance understanding of key objectives and ideas in the course. For instance, as students design a PowerPoint presentation on a musical artist of their own choosing, they must begin to look at that artist in a different light, while discussing the artist’s genre and musical style. To meet this challenge, students are required to conduct library and online research to learn more about the concepts of genre and style and how to identify key stylistic features in the music of their chosen artist. 

4) Global Awareness:
One of the key objectives of the course is to heighten awareness of how music connects with the social in some non-western cultures. One Discussion Forum assignment asks students to consider how a disc jockey in Rwanda allegedly used politically charged songs to incite genocide. Students not only debate censorship in music, but also look at the roles in which music play in countries outside the west.


COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  1. Listening: To develop specific listening skills and a basic vocabulary for describing music and its component parts.
  2. Music around the World: Cultivate an awareness and knowledge of musical traditions from around the world, including American popular music, non western music, western classical music, and others.
  3. Classical Music: To Introduce students to the historical development of classical music and some its major composers.
  4. The Role of Music in Society: To deepen understanding of the historical, social, political, and economic contexts and factors that influence the development and performance of music.

 

REQUIRED TEXT AND LISTENING CDS -- There are none!

The innovative design of this course strives to eliminate student's costs for books and materials. Much of the content for the course is drawn from the wealth of internet sources that fall under Creative Commons Licensing. That means we are free to utilize that content without having to pay royalties or fees. Since the course relies on these resources instead of traditional texts and CDs, the material costs for students taking the course amount to nothing.

 

COURSE POLICIES/RESOURCES

1.  COMPUTER PROBLEMS: Your first instinct might be to contact your instructor. However, remember his job involves the content of the course and not the technical aspects, such as computer issues or problems.

Contact Tech Support at the IEL Office. Phone numbers are available on the College website and when you bring up Canvas on your computer.

2.  DISABILITIES: If you are a student impacted by a disability, I encourage you to seek assistance while taking this course by contacting the Center for Students with Disabilities [Bldg. 15; Phone (509) 533–7169].

Please call SCC Information and ask to be connected with the Disability Support Servicies. (Phone: (509) 533-4357). There you can learn more about what services are available, eligibility, application procedures and more detailed contact information.

3.  PLAGIARISM:  “Definition: In an instructional setting, plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledg­ing its source.” (See  http://www.wpacouncil.org/node/9 Links to an external site.  for additional information about plagiarism).

Plagiarism is a serious issue and not taken lightly. Plagiarism of any written assignment for the course will result in an ‘F’ for the assignment. The incident will be reported to the Chair of the Department and to the appropriate Division Dean for any further action they may wish to initiate.