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MUS31460

Academic Year 2024/2025

New Ideas in Musicology (MUS31460)

Subject:
Music
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
Music
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Dr Matthew Thomson
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module offers students the chance to engage directly with a diverse range of eminent thinkers on music. In reading recently published material and discussing it with its authors, students will encounter the new ideas that are at the forefront of Musicology, Ethnomusiocology, and Popular Music Studies, gaining a broad knowledge of the cutting edge of the discipline.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this module, students will be able to:
• Summarise the insights gained from reading a piece of scholarly writing.
• Present their own critical appraisal of scholarly writing.
• Engage productively and helpfully in academic discussions with other scholars.
• Write clearly and confidently about their impressions of a piece of scholarly writing.

Indicative Module Content:

Sessions will be organised in pairs. For each pair of sessions, students will be assigned one piece of scholarly writing to read. In the first session, they will discuss their impressions of this piece of writing with the module coordinator. In the second, they will participate in a question-and-answer session with the author, moderated by the module coordinator. Through their discussions with the lecturer and the authors, students will develop their skills in critically appraising scholarly work in an independent, productive, and constructive way. Furthermore, the authors and their writings will cover a wide variety of topics in musicology, allowing students to explore a range of interests within a single module and to gain an understanding of the contemporary state of the discipline. For each of the five pairs of sessions, students will write a reading report of 500 words, leading to a combined portfolio of c. 2500 words.

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

10

Conversation Class

10

Specified Learning Activities

10

Autonomous Student Learning

70

Total

100


Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
• Group discussions with lecturer.
• Moderated question-and-answer sessions.
• Critical writing.
• Reflective learning.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Portfolio: Reading report of 500 words for each seminar, leading to a combined portfolio submission of 2500 words. Week 12 Graded No
60
No
Participation in Learning Activities: Preparation of set texts and contribution to regular discussions. Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12 Graded No
40
No

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

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, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Self-assessment activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Formative feedback will be given on draft reading reports while the final versions will receive feedback together with the grade.

Name Role
Dr Tomás McAuley Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Thurs 10:00 - 10:50