Upper-division Writing Requirement Review Form.
I. General Education Review – Upper-division Writing Requirement
Dept/Program
Course # (i.e. ANTH
Music
Subject
455) or sequence
Course(s) Title
Cultural Studies in Music
Description of the requirement if it is not a single course.
MUSI 417
The School of Music offers revolving course topics in Cultural Studies under the course
number MUSI 417. Past courses have included the following topics: Music, Sex, and Gender;
Music, Film, and Media; and Popular Culture and American Musical Theater
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office.
Please type / print name Signature
Instructor
James Randall
Phone / Email
james.randall@umontana.edu
Program Chair
Maxine Ramey
Dean
Stephen Kalm
III. Type of request
New
One-time Only
Reason for new course, change or deletion
Date
Change
Remove
Request for renewal of designation
IV Overview of the Course Purpose/ Description
SAMPLE COURSE DESCRIPTION: Music, Sex, and Gender
As an aspect of culture, music has often been an active force in shaping, constructing, and
sometimes critiquing a society’s ideas about gender, sex, and sexuality. How is it, for instance,
that some music has been considered “masculine” and other music considered “feminine”? Is
there such a thing as “gay” or “straight” music? How have these conceptions changed over time
and varied cross-culturally, and how has music served to both reinforce and to contest such
definitions? To answer these and other questions, we will examine variety of historical and
cross-cultural topics from popular, classical, and world music.
V Learning Outcomes: Explain how each of the following learning outcomes will be achieved.
This course is organized as a seminar. Our
Student learning outcomes :
Identify and pursue sophisticated questions for weekly readings, listening, and discussion
questions (on Moodle) serve as a springboard
academic inquiry
for our face-to-face meetings, in which students
are expected to pose questions directing course
content and to share their own independent
analyses of the musical works and source
readings.
The writing assignments foster and assess these
Find, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize
skills.
information effectively and ethically from
diverse sources (see
http://www.lib.umt.edu/informationliteracy/)
Manage multiple perspectives as appropriate
Recognize the purposes and needs of
discipline-specific audiences and adopt the
academic voice necessary for the chosen
discipline
Use multiple drafts, revision, and editing in
conducting inquiry and preparing written work
Follow the conventions of citation,
documentation, and formal presentation
appropriate to that discipline
Develop competence in information
technology and digital literacy (link)
Each writing assignment requires students to
critically engage with multiple perspectives and
points of view that are presented in assigned
readings and listening, from both primary and
secondary sources. Students are expected to
incorporate those points of view as well as
independent research and musical analysis into
each paper.
The three essays foster these skills. In
particular, the research paper and
accompanying presentation are designed to
provide students with the skills to prepare a
short paper for an academic conference.
Depending upon the assignment, students
submit drafts for peer or instructor review.
Students incorporate feedback into their
revisions and final drafts.
Students are provided with resources I post to
Moodle, cover in class, and supplement
through handouts.
These skills are covered primarily in class, but I
also devote discussion forums on Moodle
presenting and sharing resources. I also use the
music subject area resource guide developed by
Tammy Ravas for the Mansfield Library
website. Links to helpful resources are posted
on Moodle.
VI. Writing Course Requirements
Enrollment is capped at 25 students.
If not, list maximum course enrollment.
Explain how outcomes will be adequately met
for this number of students. Justify the request
for variance.
Briefly explain how students are provided with
tools and strategies for effective writing and editing
in the major.
Which written assignment(s) includes revision in
response to instructor’s feedback?
We discuss these in class and links are
provided to resources on Moodle. In
particular, I use resources available through
the Mansfield Library website and Purdue
University Online Writing Lab
Research Paper
VII. Writing Assignments: Please describe course assignments. Students should be required to
individually compose at least 20 pages of writing for assessment. At least 50% of the course grade
should be based on students’ performance on writing assignments. Quality of content and writing
are integral parts of the grade on any writing assignment.
Formal Graded Assignments
3 Assignments: two 5-page essays; and one
8-10 page research paper (together these
comprise 60% of the course grade)
Informal Ungraded Assignments
Weekly discussion forums on moodle.
VIII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form.  For assistance on
syllabus preparation see: http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/syllabus.html
The syllabus must include the following:
1. Writing outcomes
2. Information literacy expectations
3. Detailed requirements for all writing assignments or append writing assignment instructions
Music 417: Cultural Studies in Music
Music, Sex, and Gender
Upper-Division Writing Course
Spring 2012
TR 5:40-7:00, DHC 120
Instructor: Dr. James Randall
E-mail: james.randall@umontana.edu
Office/phone: 214 Music Bldg. x6892
Hours: W 10-12, or by appt.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Required Readings:
All course readings will be placed on Moodle.
Description:
As an aspect of culture, music has often been an active force in shaping, constructing, and sometimes critiquing a
society’s ideas about gender, sex, and sexuality. How is it, for instance, that some music has been considered
‘masculine’ and other music considered ‘feminine’? Is there such a thing as “gay” or “straight” music? How have
these conceptions changed over time and varied cross-culturally, and how has music served to both reinforce and
to contest such definitions? To answer these questions, we will examine variety of historical and cross-cultural
topics from popular, classical, and world music.
Student Goals and Objectives:
1) An introduction to current research on music and gender
2) Applying and challenging theories from this literature in your own writing and analysis.
2) Understanding how musical sounds can communicate abstract concepts such as gender and sex
3) Developing skills in research and writing in the discipline of music: in particular, fostering digital literacy and a
working knowledge of current information technology relevant to our field.
Evaluation:
Grades will be based on your performance on the following exams and assignments:
Essay I
Essay II
Essay III (Final)
Final Essay Presentation
Discussion Postings/Participation/Attendance
20%
20%
20%
20%
20%
Paper extensions will only be permitted with a valid
excuse—family illness, medical emergency, etc.
Grading scale is as follows
A
AB+
B
BC+
93-100%
90-92%
88-89%
83-87%
80-82%
78-79%
C
CD+
D
DF
73-77%
70-72%
68-69%
63-67%
60-62%
59% and below
MUSIC 417—SYLLABUS (Spring 2012)
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE/ASSIGNMENTS
The assigned readings should be completed by the first class meeting of each week unless specified otherwise.
Week 1
1/24-26
TOPICS:
READING:
Course expectations; syllabus
What is gender? What is sex?
Colebrook, “Nature/culture: Sex/gender”
“Gender” in Grove’s Dictionary of Music
Week 2
1/31- 2/02
TOPICS:
How can gender or sex be communicated through music?
READING:
Holtzman, “Gender in Pink and Blue”
Turino, “Why Music Matters”
Week 3
2/7-9
TOPICS:
Why don’t more guys play the flute? Where are all the great female guitarists?
READING:
Steblin, “The Gender Stereotyping of Musical Instruments …”
Bayton, “Women and the Electric Guitar”
Agnew, Interview with drummer for ‘7-year Bitch’
Week 4
2/14-16
TOPICS:
Musical Masculinities: ‘Cock Rock’ and Beyond
READING:
Reynolds and Press, “I am the King…”
Fast, “Whole Lotta Love: Performing Gender.”
Whitely, “Little Red Rooster v. The Honky Tonk Woman: Mick Jagger, Sexuality, Style and
Image.”
Week 5
2/21-23
TOPICS:
Grrrl Power: Making space for Women in Rock
READING:
“There’s a Riot Going On: Grrrls Against Boy-Rock”
Straw, “Sizing up Record Collections”
Reynolds and Press, “Woman Unbound: Hysterics, Witches, and Mystics.”
Reynolds and Press. “Who’s that girl?: Masquerade and Mastery.”
Leonard, “‘Rebel Girl, You are the Queen of my World’ Feminism, ‘Subculture’ and Grrrl
Power.”
Week 6
2/28-3/1
TOPICS:
African-American Women: Power, Gender, and Music
READING:
Bowers, “I Can Stand More Trouble Than Any Little Woman My Size’…
Perry, “It’s my Thang and I’ll Swing it the Way that I Feel: Sexuality and Black Women
Rappers.”
Carby, “It jus be’s dat way sometime: The sexual politics of women’s blues”
Week 7
3/6-8
TOPICS:
Girly men and Mannish Women: Music, Drag, and Androgyny
READING:
Bruzzi, “Mannish Girl: K.D. Lang…”
Interview with “Phranc,” in Angry women of Rock and Roll
Gill, John. “Like Boy George Never Happened.”
Week 8
3/13-15
TOPICS:
Where are the Gays? Lost Histories/Prejudiced Histories
READING:
Brown, “Tchaikovsky and his Music…”
Tick, “Charles Ives and Gender Ideology”
Thomas, “Was George Frideric Handel Gay?”
Week 9
3/20-22
TOPICS:
Gendering Jazz
READING:
Gill, “Mannish-Acting Women, Woman-Acting Men.”
Gill, “And His Mother Called Him Bill.”
Gill, “Miles in the Sky.”
Gill, “Walk Like a Woman, Talk Like a Man.”
Week 10
2/27-3/1
TOPICS:
Lost in Translation: A cross-cultural look at Music and Gender
READING:
Week 11
TBA
SPRING BREAK
Week 12
4/10-12
TOPICS:
Gender and Country Music
READING:
TBA
Week 13
4/17-19
TOPICS:
Masculinity and Hip-Hop
READING:
TBA
TOPICS:
A Man’s World: Women in Classical Music
READING:
TBA
Week 14
4/24-26
Week 15
5/1-3
Final Presentations
Week 16
12/1, 3
Final Presentations
Finals Week: We will meet during our final exam time if needed for final presentations. Attendance is required.
_____________________________________________
SAMPLE ESSAY PROMPT
Music 417: Final Essay and Class Presentation (40% of total course grade)
GRADING:
Class Presentation
20% (of course grade)
*ROUGH DRAFTS ARE DUE IMMEDIATELY AFTER YOUR SCHEDULED PRESENTATION
Final Essay
20% (of course grade)
FINAL ESSAY
Task:
This final writing project is a research paper on a subject related to Music, Sex, and Gender. Your paper should incorporate
primary sources, include original analysis and insight, and engage with secondary sources related to the topic. Your paper
should be organized around a clear and specific thesis, whether expository, analytical, or argumentative in nature.
Final Paper Due Date:
By 5:00 p.m., Wed. May 9
Format:
6-8 double-spaced pages in Times New Roman (or similar sized 12-point font, with 1-1.25 inch margins. No extra space
between paragraphs. This total page count does not include your bibliography, extended in-text examples, or a title page.
Documentation:
Your paper should be properly documented, citing any outside source materials. Any citation format is acceptable—
Chicago, MLA, Turabian, etc.—as long as you are consistent throughout your paper. Attach a bibliography, which contains
all sources consulted in writing your paper.
Grading:
Because this is a writing course, you will be graded on grammar, form, and style, as well as on content.
FINAL PRESENTATION
Task:
Presentations will begin on April 24. Share the findings of your research paper in a 15-minute presentation for class. Prepare
a handout or powerpoint slides to support your presentation. Audio/visual examples are required, but shouldn’t exceed five
minutes.
5 minutes afterward will be allotted for questions.
Grading:
You will be graded on the content of your presentation, as well as upon clarity and organization. I’ll provide you with a
grading rubric in advance.