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MUS41050

Academic Year 2026/2027

Sounding Ireland Onscreen (MUS41050)

Subject:
Music
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
Music
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Dr Laura Anderson
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

Ireland appears onscreen in a range of guises, frequently romanticised and sometimes critiqued. Moving chronologically from the silent film era to the present day, this course considers a range of musical approaches by which Ireland has been ‘sounded’ on the screen. The course will present students with analytical tools and theoretical perspectives from musicology and film studies to interpret music and sound design in audio-visual media. These approaches will be employed in the study of selected case studies.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Explain and evaluate important theoretical concepts related to music, sound, and the moving image.
- Interrogate specific examples using the technical terminology of film music studies.
- Describe different music and the moving image practices and aesthetics in relation to aspects of Irish culture and issues of national identity.
- Discuss key aesthetic trends, practices, and examples of media music from different periods and genres of film and television programme, made in Ireland or representing Ireland.
- Recognise the contribution of a range of film music composers and musically-minded directors in the representation of Ireland onscreen.

Having completed the course, students will also have improved their skills in reading analytical texts, appraising scholarly views, offering synthetic readings of scholarly disagreements, conducting academic research, and communicating their findings to others (both in the form of essays and presentations).

Indicative Module Content:

-Silent film music practices with reference to Ireland and early sound film
-Classic Hollywood, Ireland, and Irish-American Connections
-Presentations
-Recent Developments
-Music and Sound for Documentary Film

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Proficient

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Proficient

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Proficient

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Proficient

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Proficient

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Competent

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Proficient

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 3
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

12
Specified Learning Activities

42
Autonomous Student Learning

46
Total

100

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures.
Critical engagement with scholarship and audio-visual case studies.
Task-based learning.
Discussions in class.

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 Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Written essay to be submitted following completion of the module. Week 6 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
60
 No
Individual Project: Individual presentation task with written report to be submitted during trimester. Week 4 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
40
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 Wed 11:00 - 12:50
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