Archived: 2023-24 Undergraduate Course Listings

Fall 2023-Winter 2024

MUSI 1000A: Introduction to the Study of Music – Winter

PROFESSOR: James Deaville
DESCRIPTION: An introduction to the study of music at Carleton University. We cover the mechanics of how we study music, the writing the research paper, the fields of music study, etc. It is supposed to prepare the student for their undergraduate studies in music.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: TBA
READINGS: TBA

MUSI 1001A: Classical Music History – Fall

PROFESSOR: John Higney
DESCRIPTION: Through lectures, readings, and assignments students are introduced to the history of western art music from the Middle Ages to the present. Although helpful, the ability to read music is not required as students investigate musical practices, styles, genres, significant persons and places. In addition to the music itself, the broader cultural contexts of literature, visual arts, politics, philosophy, and society are considered. Historical knowledge and musical skills acquired through this course will equip students to better appreciate western art music and culture. Course work/evaluation TBA. Textbook TBA.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: TBA
READINGS: TBA

MUSI 1002B: Issues in Popular Music – Fall

PROFESSOR: John Higney
DESCRIPTION: Popular music is consumed by billions of people around the world; yet, in everyday life, rarely do we consider how our lives are shaped by popular music. This course investigates popular music as social and cultural practice from a variety of perspectives including industrial and cultural production/consumption, gender and sexuality, race and racialization, texts and signification, globalization, media, technologies and dissemination, audiences and fandom (mainstream and subcultural). The topics and modes of inquiry presented in this course will prepare students to think critically about popular music and wider culture in the modern world. The ability to read music is not required or expected. Course work/evaluation TBA. Textbook TBA.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: TBA
READINGS: TBA

MUSI 1107B: Elementary Materials of Music – Winter

PROFESSOR: David Schroeder
DESCRIPTION: An introduction to the theoretical rudiments of music in the western European tonal tradition. Completion of this course will fulfil the prerequisite for entry into MUSI 1700. Not available to B.Mus. students for credit.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: TBA
READINGS: TBA

MUSI 1700A: Foundations of Music Theory – Fall

PROFESSOR: James McGowan
DESCRIPTION: MUSI 1700A involves the study of the principles, materials, and techniques of tonal music using music analysis, notation, and ear training activities. The course starts with an overview and review of music theory fundamentals, followed by a study of chords, rhythm, and melody, an introduction to the study of tonal counterpoint, and the combination of all these elements with a study of harmony and voice leading of diatonic tonal music. A variety of musical examples will be studied, including jazz, popular, world, and classical styles; students will be encouraged and guided to make critical and analytical connections between the music-historical and cultural traditions of the music we study and theories of the tools, practices, and compositional craft that underlie it. Since the well-rounded musician must develop written skills hand-in-hand with aural skills, the importance of making the connection between the aural effect of musical examples, and their written form, will be stressed.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Assignments, Midterm Test, and Final Exam. No Essays.
READINGS: Textbook is required (eBook version or a hard copy that has access to publishers’ online materials): L. Poundie Burstein and Joseph N. Straus. Concise Introduction to Tonal Harmony. 2nd edition, W.W.Norton; and Required access to additional web resources. Workbook is not required.

MUSI 1701B: Theoretical Studies: Common Practice I – Winter

PROFESSOR: Jen McLachlen
DESCRIPTION: This course is a study of the harmonic, melodic, rhythmic and formal structures of music of the common-practice period, with emphasis on the development of analytical and written skills of diatonic music. Development and assessment of students’ theoretical understanding is achieved by the short harmonic exercises, the composition and harmonization of short musical phrases, and analysis of pre-existing music.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: TBA
READINGS: Burstein, L. Poundie, and Joseph N. Straus. Concise Introduction to Tonal Harmony, 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton. 2020.

MUSI 1710A: Theoretical Studies: Aural Training I – Winter

PROFESSOR: James McGowan
DESCRIPTION: MUSI 1710A is an introductory study of music as an aural phenomenon. This experiential course focuses on three primary areas of musicianship development: ear training (aural analysis and transcription of melodic and harmonic structures), solfège singing (improvisation, sight reading, and prepared performance), and keyboard harmony. In this way, students develop musicianship skills of both audiation—intentional listening and internalizing musical phenomena—and musical representation—in notation, analysis, singing, and keyboard playing. Sound materials are drawn from a range of sources, live and recorded.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Approximate breakdown of elements: 20% – Ear Training assignments; 20%; – Ear Training tests; 15% – Ear Training final exam; 30% – Solfège (or Numbers) Singing recorded and in-class; 15% – Sight Singing and Keyboard tests. No essays.
READINGS: Course Pack and online materials.

MUSI 1711A: Theory: Applied Rhythm Training I – Fall

PROFESSOR: Kathy Armstrong
DESCRIPTION: This applied rhythm course will immerse students in hands on activities that are designed to build facility with Western and non-Western rhythmic concepts and their practical applications. Through use of the rhythmic solfege system Takadimi, students will learn to recognize rhythmic patterns and groupings. A fundamental element of the course will be participation in traditional music-making practices from West Africa.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Evaluation: skills tests, written and online assignments, group playing assignments, and attendance
READINGS: Required Text: Hoffman, Richard (2009). The Rhythm Book (2nd ed.). Franklin, Tennessee: Harpeth River Publishing

MUSI 2005A: Intro to Jazz History – Fall

PROFESSOR: John Higney
DESCRIPTION: This course investigates jazz from its origins up to the present. Students will engage jazz musics and cultures in the contexts of history; space, place and geography; politics and economy; race and racialization; aesthetics; literature, visual arts and the moving image; gender and sexuality; musical styles, forms, and genres, compositional and improvisational practices styles and practices; significant practitioners; and, technologies, media, and industry. Course work/evaluation TBA. Textbook TBA.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: TBA
READINGS: TBA

PROFESSOR: William Echard
DESCRIPTION: This course provides an historical survey and stylistic analysis of the development of Anglo-American popular music from colonial times through the first half of the twentieth century. The course will emphasize both the changing historical circumstances in which popular music was created and appreciated, and the changing characteristics of the music itself. The course aims to help students develop the ability to: recognize, and be able to describe the main features of a wide range of popular music styles from the 19th to the mid-20th centuries; remember a range of historical and contextual information relevant to situating these musics in their time and place; understand, and be able to critically evaluate, some of the ways that specific musical/sonic details are connected to broader social factors (e.g., identity, ideology, technology, geography, economics, and industry); and apply some basic concepts and terminology of music theory, both in connection with discussing music history and in exploring personal listening preferences and experiences.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Completion of regular reading journal entries; completion of regular extra listening example assignments; two writing assignments (one approximately 4-5 pages, one approximately 10 pages); final written exam (based on short answer questions provided ahead of time). Mark breakdown TBA.
READINGS: Online Readings

PROFESSOR: William Echard
DESCRIPTION: This course provides an historical survey and stylistic analysis of the development of Anglo-American popular music in the second half of the twentieth century. The course will emphasize both the changing historical circumstances in which popular music was created and appreciated, and the changing characteristics of the music itself. The course aims to help students develop the ability be able to: recognize, and be able to describe the main features of, a wide range of popular music styles from the second half of the 20th century; remember a range of historical and contextual information relevant to situating these musics in their time and place; understand, and be able to critically evaluate, some of the ways that specific musical/sonic details are connected to broader social factors (e.g., identity, ideology, technology, geography, economics, and industry); apply some basic concepts and terminology of music theory, both in connection with discussing music history and in exploring personal listening preferences and experiences.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Completion of regular extra listening example assignments; two writing assignments (one approximately 4-5 pages, one approximately 10 pages); final written exam (based on short answer questions provided ahead of time). Mark breakdown TBA
READINGS: No Readings

MUSI 2008B: Music of the World's People – Winter

PROFESSOR: Kathy Armstrong
DESCRIPTION: This course is an introduction to Music of the World’s Peoples, and the sociocultural contexts in which those musics are created and performed. We will investigate music from several different geographic areas (Africa, India, North America, South America, Caribbean, Asia, Europe and the Middle East) using relevant readings, discussion, and audio/visual examples.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Participation through Discussion, Video Assignment, Written Term Project in Three Parts, Attendance
READINGS: Required Online Text: Titon, Jeff Todd (2018) Worlds of Music: An Introduction to the Music of the World (Shorter Version), fourth edition, New York: Cengage.

MUSI 2102: Music in the Age of Spectacle, Commerce, and Colonization – Winter

PROFESSOR: David Schroeder
DESCRIPTION: This course will examine music from the Baroque Era, from approximately 1600-1750. Music from composers such as Bach, Handel, Monteverdi, Corelli, Purcell, Vivaldi and others will be explored in depth. The early development of opera will be examined, and the developing compositional practices of instrumental music will also be considered. How the music of this period has been interpreted over time will be emphasized, with connections made to the contemporary setting and modern artists. The sociological environment in which music of this period evolved is pertinent to the treatment of the composers of the time, and technological and cultural developments will be considered in relation to the evolution of Baroque music.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: TBA
READINGS: TBA

MUSI 2601A: Orchestration and Instrumentation – Fall

PROFESSOR: Matthew Emery
DESCRIPTION: Introduction to the fundamentals of effective and professional arranging and orchestration for the orchestra. All aspects of the various instruments of the orchestra and matters having to do with the practicalities of orchestration and instrumentation for both small and large ensembles, and accepted professional standards of score presentation.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Short technical exercises and small assignments (ex: write an idiomatic melody for the alto flute), two orchestration exercises (orchestrate a piano work for strings, and for orchestra).
READINGS: Textbook required: The Study of Orchestration by Samuel Adler (3rd or 4th edition)

MUSI 2602B: Introduction to Composition – Winter

PROFESSOR: Jen McLachlen
DESCRIPTION: MUSI2602 offers an introduction to theories and technicalities involved in original creative writing through the preparation of individual assignments. The course is based in the practice of recent music in the Western Classical tradition while allowing for the music of other styles and traditions to be addressed.
Classes will vary in nature, comprising of lectures, class discussions, student presentations, and musical performances.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Student evaluation will be based upon active participation, numerous smaller composition assignments, and one larger composition project.
READINGS: TBA

MUSI 2608A: Computer Music I: Fundamentals of Electronic Music Production – Fall

PROFESSOR: Christian Guzmán Ramos
DESCRIPTION: This course is an introduction to computer-based music creation using industry-standard software packages (including Ableton Live Suite/Max for Live and VCV Rack). Lectures and in-class demonstrations will cover: sampling, synthesis, sequencing, rhythm programming, sound design, mixing and mastering, the use of MIDI, basic music theory, song analysis and compositional tools for music production. All of the above will be grounded in readings and class discussions about sound, audio technology, and studio practice. Studio tools and techniques will be discussed in relation to specific musical examples and their cultural context. This course is open to students of all levels; prior experience with music software is NOT required and a process of learning-by-experimentation will be encouraged.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Tentatively: In-class workshop exercises + Attendance (15%), Mid-term Audio Project + Report (35%), Forum Posts + Participation (10%), Final Composition + Report (40%)
READINGS: READINGS: VJ Manzo & Will Kuhn, Interactive Composition: Strategies Using Ableton Live and Max for Live (e-book available from Carleton Library). Additional readings are provided via Brightspace

MUSI 2609B: Computer Music II: Production, Collaboration and Performance – Winter

PROFESSOR: Christian Guzmán Ramos
DESCRIPTION: This course focuses on computer-based music-making with an emphasis on the creation of original material and the reinvention of existing material, along with approaches to collaborative strategies, mixing, and performance-oriented tools and techniques. Using Ableton Live Suite/Max for Live and VCV Rack, we will explore beat-making, sampling, (re)mixing, creative audio processing, audio synthesis, generative systems, and the use of hardware controllers and mobile devices in recording, producing and live performance. Lectures and demonstrations examine a broad range of musical styles and practices, while technical discussions are supplemented by rich musical examples. This course is open to students of all experience levels and musical backgrounds; prior experience with music software is NOT required and a process of learning-by-experimentation is always encouraged.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Tentatively: In-class workshop exercises + Attendance (15%), Mid-term Audio Project + Report (35%), Forum Posts + Participation (10%), Final Composition + Report (40%)
READINGS: Dennis DeSantis, Making Music: 74 Creative Strategies for Electronic Musicians.
(PDF available to download for free on Ableton’s website) Additional readings are provided via Brightspace.

MUSI 2700A: Theory Common Practice II – Fall

PROFESSOR: Jen McLachlen
DESCRIPTION: MUSI 2700A covers principles of eighteenth and nineteenth-century diatonic and chromatic harmony as observed in works selected from the late Baroque up through the Romantic era. Development and assessment of students’ theoretical understanding is achieved by short harmonic exercises, the composition and harmonization of short musical phrases, and analysis of pre-existing music.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: TBA
READINGS: TBA

MUSI 2701A: Theoretical Studies: Popular Music Practice – Winter

PROFESSOR: James McGowan
DESCRIPTION:MUSI 2701 is a study of popular musics of the 20th and 21st century from the perspective of music theory. The course explores melody, harmony, rhythm, and formal structures as they function in various pop, jazz, blues, and related genres. Students will develop basic skills in analyzing, notating, composing, arranging, improvising, and ear training in contemporary pop and jazz musical styles, as well as abilities in communication skills, peer collaboration, and critical assessment of resources.
METHOD OF EVALUATION:Approximate breakdown: 35% – Assignments (includes understanding harmonic practice, introductory composition and arranging projects); 15% – Recorded presentation; 10% – Ear Training activities; 10% – Participation, in-class experiential-learning activities; 15% – Midterm test; 15% – Final exam.
READINGS: Curated online readings and materials, as well as instructor-created course resources on Brightspace.

MUSI 2710A: Theoretical Studies: Aural Training II – Winter

PROFESSOR: James McGowan
DESCRIPTION: MUSI 2710A is a practical study of music as an aural phenomenon, and is a continuation of the course MUSI 1710. This experiential course focuses on three primary areas of musicianship development: ear training (aural analysis and transcription of melodic and harmonic structures), solfège singing (sight reading and prepared performance), and keyboard harmony. In this way, students develop musicianship skills of both audiation—intentional listening and internalizing musical phenomena—and musical representation—in notation, analysis, singing, and keyboard playing. Sound materials are drawn from a range of sources, live and recorded.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Ear training assignments and unit tests, individual sight singing and keyboard assessments, assignments & projects. No essays. The final exam is just one of the unit tests.
READINGS: Course Pack will be available free of charge on cuLearn. Required access to additional free web resources.

MUSI 2711A: Theory: Applied Rhythm Training II – Winter

PROFESSOR: Kathy Armstrong
DESCRIPTION: A continuation of 1711, this applied rhythm course will immerse students in hands on activities that are designed to build facility with Western and non-Western rhythmic concepts and their practical applications. Through the continued use of the rhythmic solfege system Takadimi, students will learn to recognize rhythmic patterns and groupings, and compare different notation systems. A fundamental element of the course will be participation in traditional music-making practices from West Africa.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Evaluation: skills tests, written and online assignments, group playing assignments, and attendance
READINGS: Required Text: Hoffman, Richard (2009). The Rhythm Book (2nd ed.). Franklin, Tennessee: Harpeth River Publishing

MUSI 3103A: Music in Canada – Fall

PROFESSOR: Ellen Waterman
DESCRIPTION: This course is a thematic exploration of music in Canada across art, folk, popular, and jazz scenes. It is not a survey or history, but rather a set of “entry points” for discovering, understanding, and questioning the many lives of music in Canada. Through critical reading, listening, discussion, and at least one field trip, we will examine how music helps shape and critique ideas of national identity, and celebrate the contributions to music in Canada by Indigenous, settler, and diasporic communities.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: TBA
READINGS: Weekly readings, links to video and audio will be provided on Brightspace.

MUSI 3108B: Musics of the Middle East & North Africa – Winter

PROFESSOR: Carolyn Ramzy
DESCRIPTION: An examination of various musics, devotional traditions, and shifting cultural and art movements in the region, resulting from processes of globalization, political change, and technological innovation. Course sessions will include close and critical discussion of selected texts, audio-visual examples, and ethnomusicological documentary films.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Class participation, critical playlist compilation, midterm, final exam
READINGS: TBA
CROSSLISTED WITH: ANTH3215

MUSI 3200A Race and Representation in the Arts - Fall

PROFESSORS: Kathy Armstrong, Malini Guha, Gül Kale
DESCRIPTION: This course takes a cross-disciplinary as well as intersectional approach to the topic of race and representation. Spanning a variety of artistic mediums including film, music, visual art and architecture, this course will explore the politics of representation, and the challenges as well as opportunities of producing works by artists, makers, and collectives from Black, Indigenous and racialized communities.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: TBA
READINGS: TBA

MUSI 3200B: African Popular Music – Fall

PROFESSOR: Lyndsey Copeland
DESCRIPTION: This course examines the history, politics, performance, and composition of popular music from across sub-Saharan Africa. We will engage closely with scholarship in African music studies, and listen to and think critically about a range of popular genres, including Congolese rumba, Cameroonian makossa, South African bubblegum, and Nigerian afrobeats. Through methods of transcription, analysis, and performance, students will become familiar with compositional elements and techniques in African music, as well as leading theories of African music. Our discussions of popular musics in their social and historical contexts will elucidate a range of topics, including the place of music during struggles against European colonialism; the influence of commercial industries and technologies on music-making in Africa; the politics of marketing African music to foreign audiences; and music’s role in the construction of national, ethnic, and other identities
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Participation & Completion (10%); Assignments 1-3 (10% each); Assignments 4-5 (15% each); Final Assignment (30%)
CROSSLISTED WITH: AFRI 3007B

MUSI 3201B: Special Topic: Fundamentals in Teaching Artistry and Music Community Engagement – Winter

PROFESSOR: Kathrym Patricia Cobbler
DESCRIPTION: This course is an introduction to the field of Teaching Artistry and community engagement through music. We will explore creative skills in communication and connection through our musical craft through in-class performances, workshop development and relevant readings, discussion, and audio/visual examples.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Participation through discussion, in-class performance/presentations, short written assignments and attendance
READINGS: Weekly Readings. Readings and links to course-related video and audio will be provided.

MUSI 3201C: Special Topics: Musical Activism in Global Contexts – Winter

PROFESSOR: Anna Hoefnagels
DESCRIPTION: In this course we will explore intersections of music and activism through an examination of various case studies. Questions we will consider include: how does music contribute to activist movements, locally, nationally and internationally? How do sound and music serve as tools to effect social and political change? How are activist movements, personalities and agendas addressed, and in some cases, memorialized through song?
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Evaluation will include attendance and active participation in classroom discussions, reading and listening exercises, a short presentation and written summary, an independent research project and a final take home exam.
READINGS: All readings will be available online.

ANTH 3225: Feminist Soundscapes in Religion – Fall

PROFESSOR: Dr. Carolyn Ramzy
DESCRIPTION: An introduction and examination of religious and devotional practices that challenge, imagine, and practice a more equitable and intersectional spiritual worldview, often depending on virtual spaces, diasporic belonging, and feminist community building. Course sessions will include close and critical discussion of selected texts, audio-visual examples, and documentary films.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Class participation, critical playlist compilation, midterm, final exam
READINGS: TBA

MUSI 3400A: A History of Opera Before 1800 – Fall

PROFESSOR: Antonio Llaca
DESCRIPTION: A survey of the development of opera from the beginnings to about 1800. The major monuments of Italian, French, German and English opera, by such composers as Monteverdi, Cavalli, Scarlatti, Purcell, Lully, Gluck, Rameau, Mozart and Haydn.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: TBA
READINGS: TBA

MUSI 3402A: Film Music – Fall

PROFESSOR: James Deaville
DESCRIPTION: A survey of film and television music, from their beginnings to the present. Emphasis on leading titles from the 20th and 21st centuries. No experience in music is required.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: TBA
READINGS: TBA

MUSI 3403B: Music Industries – Winter

PROFESSOR: John Higney
DESCRIPTION: MUSI 3403 is an introduction to the significant historical, technological, and cultural issues in the (mostly popular) music industries over the past century. Readings for this course deal with a variety of issues ranging from popular music creation, dissemination, mediation, audience response, and cultural practices. Specific topics encountered in MUSI 3403a include technological history, creation and dissemination, copyright issues, introduction to and critique of Adorno’s cultural industries model, culture and commodity, Bourdieusian perspectives on genre and audiences, deregulation and consolidation in the radio industry, P2P, streaming audio, intellectual property rights, the economics of terrestrial and online radio, and technology and the transformation of musical fandom and communities. The goal of this course is to develop an understanding of the various cultural practices and institutions that constitute the music industries from a variety of methodological and disciplinary perspectives. The ability to read music is not required or expected. Course work/evaluation TBA. Texts TBA.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: TBA
READINGS: TBA

MUSI 3405A: Musical Theatre – Fall

PROFESSOR: Antonio Llaca
DESCRIPTION: An in-depth look at the history and evolution of musical theater from the early years and its precedents through Operettas and Musical Comedies, the Golden age of Broadway Song and more recent developments. The course includes a survey of the styles, works, and artists of the musical theatre genre as well as the artistic elements that comprise musical theatre. Weekly readings, in class discussion, short essays and exams.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: TBA
READINGS: TBA

MUSI 3407A: Chamber Music – Fall

PROFESSOR: James Deaville
DESCRIPTION: An introduction to the study of music at Carleton University. We cover the mechanics of how we study music, the writing the research paper, the fields of music study, etc. It is supposed to prepare the student for their undergraduate studies in music.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: TBA
READINGS: TBA

MUSI 3702A: Introduction to the Physics & Psychoacoustics of Music – Fall

PROFESSOR: James Wright
DESCRIPTION: This course will cover basic topics in music psychology, acoustics and psychoacoustics, with an emphasis on those concepts that are most useful for understanding the physical and psychophysical dimensions of the auditory soundscape, and for performance, musicology, analysis and composition. A variety of disciplinary perspectives will be adopted to examine why and how humans make sense of music and respond to it sensorially, perceptually, cognitively, physically and emotionally.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Participation (10%); Midterm Exam (35%); Final Exam (40%); Paper (15%)
READINGS: Donald A. Hodges & David C. Sebald, Music in the Human Experience: An Introduction to Music Psychology, 2nd edition (New York & London, Routledge, 2019). Available in campus bookstore.

MUSI 4006B: Topics in Popular Music – Winter

PROFESSOR: William Echard
DESCRIPTION: This course aims to stimulate discussion about a range of current issues in the study of popular music. The course will be organized around three units, each four weeks long. The first unit looks in detail at the history and development of a particular musical genre (psychedelic popular musics including rock, folk, funk, and electronic dance music), along with related current issues in genre studies and historiography. The second unit is focused on a pressing social and political dimension of musical culture (popular music and ecology), and the third unit looks at the current state of the art in terms of analyzing a particular dimension of musical sound (theories and methods for analyzing rhythm in popular music).
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Completion of regular reading journal entries; possibly participation in class discussion (depending on final enrollment numbers); completion of three medium-length writing assignments (about six pages each), one for each unit. Mark breakdown TBA.
READINGS: Online Readings

ANTH 4100: Digital Ethnography and Hybrid Field Research – Winter

PROFESSOR: Carolyn Ramzy
DESCRIPTION: An introduction to hybrid ethnographic methods that combine digital and offline ethnographic research, and the examination of various virtual soundscapes and expressive cultures that straddle virtual and IRL spaces through an ethnomusicological and anthropological perspective. Course sessions will include close and critical discussion of selected texts, audio-visual examples, and documentary films.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Class participation, critical playlist compilation, midterm, final exam
READINGS: Przybylski, Liz. Hybrid Ethnography: Online, Offline, and In Between. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publication, Inc, 2021.

MUSI 4104B: First Peoples’ Music in Canada – Winter

PROFESSOR: Anna Hoefnagels
DESCRIPTION: In this course we will examine contemporary Indigenous issues, mainly in Canada, through the lens of music creation by Indigenous artists. Through this course, students will gain an understanding of major issues confronting Indigenous peoples while also learning about traditional music-making practices of many First Nations, Inuit and Metis individuals and communities.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Evaluation will include attendance and active participation in classroom discussions, reading and listening exercises, article facilitation/presentation , an independent research project and a final take home exam.
READINGS: All readings will be available online.

MUSI 4200A: Special Topic: Songwriting – Fall

PROFESSOR: Kalle Mattson
DESCRIPTION: MUSI4200A is designed to assist and motivate students to write original songs by educating them in the basic principles and diverse techniques of modern “pop” or contemporary songwriting. The course will cover various topics that explore the range of types of songwriting within the contemporary landscape from Taylor Swift and Drake to Bob Dylan and The Beatles. Students will listen and analyze “classic” songs and their structures (lyrics and musical), develop an understanding of how these songs are written and why they “work”, and execute these ideas and principles into their own writing.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Approximate breakdown: 50% weekly writing assignments (10 in total), 20% attendance and participation in the workshop/listening/discussion component of each class, 30% final assignment
READINGS: TBA

MUSI 4200B: Global Music Theories – Fall

PROFESSOR: Lyndsey Copeland
DESCRIPTION: In this course students will study selected musical systems developed in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. By reading analytical literature, and through close and directed listening, students will learn and apply compositional ideas, performance practices, and analytical concepts from musical traditions such as Middle Eastern maqāmāt, Indonesian gamelan, Hindustani classical music, and Southern African lamellaphone music. In discussion, we will situate musical practices and analytical approaches within their socio-cultural contexts, evaluate the affordances and limitations of particular methods and tools, and consider the value of comparative music analysis. Students will undertake an analytical study as a final project.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: TBD
READINGS: No

MUSI 4200C: Music and Global Development – Winter

PROFESSOR: Ian Copeland
DESCRIPTION: This course will critically examine the many uses of music and sound in global development and humanitarian initiatives, with particular attention paid to public and non-profit policy. With a geographic focus on the African continent alongside case studies in a variety of global contexts, we will ask how and by what measures musical interventions are deemed effective or successful; relatedly, we will suggest how new perspectives and theoretical orientations might alter traditional approaches found in the world(s) of policy-making. For their final projects, students can form working groups to either propose interventions of their own, offer updates/alternatives to initiatives in which they are actively involved, or develop policy papers that can serve as guiding documents for agencies involved in arts interventions. No musical background is required, nor is any analytical prerequisite; students from other departments and programs are very welcome.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Participation and Discussion Leading (25%), Small Assignments (25%), Semester-Long Project (50%)
READINGS: Online readings, no textbook required

MUSI 4306A: Music and Wellbeing in a Global Context – Fall

PROFESSOR: Kathy Armstrong
DESCRIPTION: An examination of the ways in which music contributes to mental, social and physical wellbeing throughout the world, drawing from the fields of neuroscience, medical ethnomusicology, community music and cross-cultural studies.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: TBA
READINGS: TBA

MUSI 4704A: Tonal Counterpoint – Fall

PROFESSOR: Matthew Emery
DESCRIPTION: This course deals with the development of writing skills and knowledge of counterpoint as manifest in the Baroque era. Topics may include invention, canon, fugue, dance forms, the compositional language of J. S. Bach, and contrapuntal techniques in the late 18th century and beyond.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: Various small assignments (write a melody, write a two-voice contrapuntal piece, write a short canon). One short reflection paper on the relevance of counterpoint in our world. Final assignment is to compose a 3-voice fugue.
READINGS: Readings and scores will be provided.

Summer 2023

MUSI 1002A Issues in Popular Music - May-June

PROFESSOR: David Schroeder
DESCRIPTION: Music generally classified as “popular” is an integral part of our cultural fabric and a ubiquitous presence in our daily
lives. MUSI 1002 will address some of the most pertinent issues when examining popular music from an academic and sociological perspective. Successful students will develop an enhanced ability to think critically about music in general and the cultural impact it has on society. Issues to be addressed include authenticity, commodification, appropriation, gatekeeper issues, media imaging, artistic integrity, gender roles, sexuality, race, social class, political expression, performance practices, multi-media dissemination, modern technology, and cultural idolization
METHOD OF EVALUATION: TBA
READINGS: TBA

MUSI 2007A Introduction to the Study of Music - July-Aug

PROFESSOR: David Schroeder
DESCRIPTION: This course provides students with a historical survey of Anglo-American popular music styles
from approximately 1945 to the present. Significant artists and musical pieces will be examined, along with the sociological contexts in which these works were created. How various styles of popular music developed and evolved within a historiographic framework will also be considered. In addition, this course will consider popular music in relation to technology, audiences, culture and subcultures, race, gender, and sexuality.
METHOD OF EVALUATION: TBA
READINGS: TBA

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