MUS31170 African-American Religious Mus

Academic Year 2024/2025

In this module students will study African-American sacred music. Beginning with the study of spirituals and their antecedents, the module will also consider lined hymnody, chanted and sung prayers and sermons, and Gospel music. Situated within the philosophical and theological context of American evangelical Protestantism and Fundamentalism, the module will outline the history of each genre, drawing on detailed analysis of representative recordings. The evolution of individual genres and regional styles will be examined within the context of American political, social and economic, and racial contexts.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to
-distinguish specific musical genres and situate them historically
-provide a social, historical and racial background to specific musical genres
-situate specific musical genres within both a historical and a racial landscape
-snalyse examples of specific genres and clearly discuss their characteristic traits and idiosyncrasies
-provide an overview of regional and genre-specific styles

Indicative Module Content:

Spirituals
Lined Hymnody
Chanted Prayers and Sermons
Gospel music
African American Evangelicalism and Fundamentalism
Basics of of USA' nineteenth- to twenty-first-century history

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

100
Autonomous Student Learning

68
Lectures

20
Seminar (or Webinar)

12
Total

200
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures, supplemented by directed listening and reading.
Close listening to and analysis of selected recordings in class
Presentation of a group project.
Students will be provided with a weekly resource pack on Brightspace (UCD's virtual learning environment), which will consist of audio (and sometimes video) examples of music, required and supplementary reading material, short video lectures and/or powerpoint slides, and (sometimes) musical scores. Weekly live virtual classes will consist of both lecture and discussion. Students are expected to attend these live sessions, and to have reviewed the materials in the folder for that week prior to attending (all materials will generally be posted one week in advance of the virtual class).

Weekly attendance is expected and will be monitored, although of course we are aware of the fact that these are challenging times, and students may have a valid reason for missing one. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Incompatibles:
MUS30030 - African-American Religious Mus


 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Group Work Assignment: Students will be asked to present, in class, on a topic agreed with the module coordinator. Week 3, Week 5, Week 7, Week 9, Week 11 Graded No

30

 No
Individual Project: Students will be asked to complete a final essay on a topic to be agreed with the module coordinator. Week 12 Graded No

70

 No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

The group projects will be graded and feedback provided verbally. The final essay will be graded, and that grade added to the cumulative grade. This module uses the yellow light approach to AI in assignments: it can be used for correction, translation, citation and brainstorming. Students should add a line to all course work indicating whether or not they have used AI in any way and, if so, outline how.

Name Role
Ms Emma Gregg Tutor