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MUS41220

Academic Year 2026/2027

New Ideas in Musicology (MUS41220)

Subject:
Music
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
Music
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Professor Wolfgang Marx
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Pass/Fail (GPA Neutral)

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. UCD's target to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability in all its varieties will also be contextualised.

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.
• Contextualise UCD's target to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability in all its varieties.

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.

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

End poverty in all its forms everywhere 5

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture 5

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages 5

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 5

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 5

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 5

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all 5

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all 5

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation 5

Reduce inequality within and among countries 5

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 5

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 5

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 5

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development 5

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss 5

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 5

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development 5
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

10
Autonomous Student Learning

70
Lectures

10
Seminar (or Webinar)

10
Conversation Class

10
Total

110

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Approaches to Teaching and Learning
• Group discussions with tutors.
• Moderated question-and-answer sessions.
• Critical writing.
• Reflective learning.
• Contextualising UCD's target to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability in all its varieties

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
Participation in Learning Activities: Preparation of questions for guest speakers, contribution to class discussions. Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12 Pass/Fail Grade Scale No
100
 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
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

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Name Role
Dr Matthew Thomson 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
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