College of Southern Idaho
Fine Arts Syllabus
MUS100 Music Appreciation
3 credit hours
Semester/year: Spring 2013
Instructor: Mr. Colby Jones
E-Mail Address: cjones@csi.edu
Office Location: Online
Office Hours: Anytime
Office Phone: Use email
1.
Course Description:
 A non-technical course designed to provide a basis for enjoyable listening to music through
the discovery of stylistic differences between historical eras and the individual composers
within the eras, and through the awareness of the various performance media.
2.
Pre-Requisites:
 None required.
3.
Required Textbooks and/or Supplies:
The World of Music, 7th ed., and accompanying recommended set of 3 CD’s or access to the
music clips online at the publishers website through the link provided in the first announcement online –
there is a charge for the ebook/music service, David Willoughby. ISBN: 978-0-07340141-6.
4.
List Pre-Requisite Skills Where Applicable:
 Basic computer skills to participate in an online course environment necessary. Additionally,
college level writing skills will benefit the student in discussion participation opportunities.
5.
Course Objectives:
 This course introduces the concept of listening to music with a critical ear, examines some of
the basic scientific, historical and cultural aspects of music, and seeks to enable you to
successfully communicate your own musical perceptions. In support of these general goals,
the expected outcomes for MUS 100 are that you will be able to:
o Listen to selected kinds of music and identify aspects of their style, origins, and
basic construction.
o Identify selected musical eras, styles, instruments, and terms, and discuss them
in terms of their historical, scientific, and/or cultural contexts.
o Identify selected important musicians and discuss why (or whether) their lives
and music are still important today.
o Use this knowledge as the basis for a critical examination of a given musical
presentation.
You may even find that after taking this course, you not only enjoy music more, but also
enjoy listening to more kinds of music.
6.
Outcomes Assessment:
The course consists of videos, video lectures, textbook reading, and numerous musical selections
for you to analyze. Your knowledge of a given type of music, its background, significance to the
modern era, etc…will be shown in your discussion participations. Additionally, your
comprehension of textbook material will be assessed in your online quiz scores, which merely
ask you to identify correct answers to multiple choice questions.
7.
Grading Practices:
 DISCUSSION INSTRUCTIONS:
1. You must log into the course and participate in EVERY discussion – this is your
“attendance” in class.
a. Missing ANY discussions will negatively impact your final grade greatly.
2. For most chapters you will have a video to watch, song selections to listen to, a
lecture to view, and a chapter to read. Other supplementary materials may be
made available at any time.
3. After digesting all such material, you may then participate in the discussion,
adding your own personal insights and views.
a. Discussions are not “chats.” They should be of essay quality. The
minimum word count is 400 words, but to earn an “A” in the course these
words should comprise a thorough and thoughtful response.
b. You should refer to all the available resources in your discussions to show
that you have engaged that material.
i. Quoting from the textbook, lectures, videos, etc…is an excellent
way to prove to me that you have engaged those materials.
 DUE DATES: Discussions or assignments turned in after the due date will not be given
credit. I cannot make exceptions for anything but the most serious emergencies –
hospitalizations, etc…If you find that life is simply too hectic at this point to keep up with
the course, please consider retaking it another semester. I cannot keep track of hundreds of
emails from hundreds of students asking for permission to turn in late assignments.

DISCUSSIONS: Your comments should be positive and informative so that all may feel at
ease in posting their thoughts and opinions. For FULL credit you are expected to post an
original, thoughtful response by the posted due date for each topic. Feel free to continue
discussions by posting and replying as much as you like. The more you discuss with peers
what you’ve learned and the more you engage the material, the greater the benefit you’ll
receive from the course. There is a rubric to your grade that you may access online in the
grade book.

GRADING SCALE: As you might expect, the grading scale in this class is 90-100%, A;
80-89%, B; 70-79%, C; 60-69%, D, and below 60%, F.
8.
Library Use (if applicable):
 Not applicable. For online courses, you may use the online databases provided by the CSI
library, but this is not necessary to complete the course.
10.
Topical Outline for the Course:
These due dates apply to DISCUSSIONS:
Introductions due by 02/02/2013
Chapter One Discussion due by 02/09/2013
Chapter Two Discussion due by 02/16/2013
Chapter Three Discussion due by 02/23/2013
Chapter Four Discussion due by 03/02/2013
Chapter Five Discussion due by 03/09/2013
Chapter Six Discussion due by 03/16/2013
Chapter Seven Discussion due by 03/23/2013
SPRING BREAK 03/25/2013 – 03/29/2013
Chapter Eight Discussion due by 04/06/2013
Chapter Nine Discussion due by 04/13/2013
Chapter Ten Discussion due by 04/20/2013
Chapter Eleven Discussion due by 04/27/2013
Chapter Twelve Discussion due by 05/04/2013
Chapter Thirteen due by 05/11/2013
No Final Exam
11.
On-line Course Evaluation Statement:
Students are strongly encouraged to complete evaluations at the end of the course.
Evaluations are very important to assist the teaching faculty in continually improving the
course. Evaluations are available online at: http://evaluation.csi.edu, and may be taken and
submitted up two weeks prior to the end of the course. The last day to complete an evaluation
is the last day of the course. During the time the evaluations are open, students can complete
the course evaluations at their convenience from any computer with Internet access,
including in the open lab in the Library and in the SUB. When students log in they should see
the evaluations for the courses in which they are enrolled. Evaluations are anonymous.
Filling out the evaluation should only take a few minutes. Your honest feedback is greatly
appreciated!
12.
Disabilities
Any student with a documented disability may be eligible for related accommodations. To
determine eligibility and secure services, students should contact the coordinator of
Disability Services at their first opportunity after registration for a class. Student Disability
Services is located on the second floor of the Taylor Building on the Twin Falls Campus, and
via (208)732.6260 (voice), (208) 734.9929 (TTY), or e-mail accessability@csi.edu
13.
CSI E-mail
E-mail is the primary source of written communication with all CSI students. Students
automatically receive a CSI e-mail account when they register for courses. Messages from
instructors and various offices such as Admission and Records, Advising, Financial Aid,
Scholarships, etc. will be sent to the students’ CSI accounts (NOT their personal e-mail
accounts). It is the students’ responsibility to check their CSI e-mail accounts
regularly. Failing to do so will result in missing important messages and deadlines.
14.
Drop Policy
It is the student’s responsibility to formally withdraw from class if he or she stops attending.
Instructors cannot drop students from courses. Therefore, students who stop attending a
course and do not formally withdraw from the course will receive an “F” in the course.