Music 665 weekly schedule (2012)

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Week 1 : 10-Sep. Introduction.

Discuss

• Brief introductions...people and interests
• The Big Questions (what are yours?)
• What is EM? What's it for?
• Abbreviations and terms to know
• MF's EM research (a shotgun approach)
• What defines research? Research proposals.
• Course outline

Introducing...

• Defining EM
• Research: aims and goals > models > queries and methods > results
• What are EM's aims and goals and how are they achieved?

Assignment

Gather definitions of EM and cognative disciplines

Read current definitions of EM and its cognate disciplines

(e.g. Musicology, Comparative Musicology, Anthropology of Music, Popular Music studies, Folklore).

Examine current articles for the following terms in Oxford Music Online (available via http://www.library.ualberta.ca/databases/), following as many hyperlinked cross-references as you can:

1. Musicology (especially Adler's subdivisions; skim the rest)
2. Comparative Musicology, Folk Music (especially Part 2: Studies, in Grove)
3. Popular Music (mainly part 6: The study of popular music)
4. World Music
5. Ethnomusicology (especially Introduction, Philip Bohlman’s portion on the post-1945 period, and Martin Stokes’ theoretical summary)

Browse The Garland encyclopedia of World Music, especially Vol. 10, The World's Music: General Perspectives and Reference Tools

Look up "Ethnomusicology" in the Oxford English dictionary, and Encyclopedia Britannica (available via http://www.library.ualberta.ca/databases/).

Find definitions in Nettl's revised edition of The study of ethnomusicology, available on reserve.

Browse a few older definitions

...from the early 1990s and before, such as the following books on Music Library reserve or Reference:

Meyers, H. (Ed.) (1992) Ethnomusicology: An Introduction

Herndon, M., & McLeod, N. (Eds.). (1979). Music as culture (2nd ed)

Hood, M. (1971) The Ethnomusicologist

Merriam, A. (1964) The Anthropology of Music

Nettl, B. (1964) Theory and Method in Ethnomusicology

Kunst, J. (1950) Musicologica; a study of the nature of ethno-musicology, its problems, methods, and representative personalities

Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians (reference) published in 1904, 1918, 1936, 1954 (note that you will not find the term "ethnomusicology" per se before 1950...and when is 'musicology' first introduced?)

Prepare the following

• Defining EM. Come to Week 2 prepared to discuss the following issues: What is EM? (consider: scope, theory, method, social network) Is EM a discipline? Why or why not? How is EM positioned with respect to other areas of music studies? with respect to other academic fields? (e.g. area studies? anthropology?) What is the logical or sociological overlap among fields? How has EM (or its cognates) changed over time? What is the historical relation among the subfields of music studies? Characterize approaches towards music scholarship of various types. When does any explicit definition of music studies start to emerge? How does EM vary across cultures? Consider definitions of EM for various regions of the world. Write 1-2 pages summarizing what you have discovered.
• Works and lives. Select three products classified (by publication venue, or library catalog) as EM research (e.g. CD, book, article) from three periods and by three different authors: (1) 1990 to present; (2) 1950 to 1990; (3) before 1950. You may like to compare three articles from a single journal. Take note of differences in aim, model (theory, queries, methods), issues/topics, areas. Write a 1-2 page critical review, comparing the three, calling attention to author biographies – where are these scholars coming from? Try to use Jstor or other online databases and submit links to online versions. Be prepared to discuss.
• Research proposal. Prepare a one-paragraph proposal for your own ethnomusicological research, including (a) one-line title; (b) research aim, research value; (c) research area and scope, following my template for Research Proposals in Ethnomusicology. We will discuss your ideas together next week.

Week 2 : 17-Sep. Defining ethnomusicology.

Submit

• Defining EM
• Works and Lives
• Research Proposal