Heartland Community College
Division of Humanities & Fine Arts
Course Syllabus for Students
(Fall, 2014)
MUSI 150.92: Music Appreciation (Online)
Instructor: Travis W. Hoover
Phone: 309.846.4296 (Cell)
Email: travis.hoover@heartland.edu
OFFICE HOURS
By appointment. Please email with as much advance notice as possible to request a
meeting. I will return your message promptly.
*REQUIRED TEXTBOOK
Forney, Kristine & Josepeh Machlis. The Enjoyment of Music: An Introduction to
Perceptive Listening. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2011. Shorter 11th Edition.
*REQUIRED MATERIALS
Forney, Kristine & Joseph Machlis. The Norton Recordings. W.W. Norton & Co., 2011.
DVD. (Accompanies the course text).
CATALOUGUE DESCRIPTION
An introduction to music appreciation and theory for students who do not intend to major
in music. This course is designed to provide familiarity with the elements of music and
with various musical forms and stylistic periods so the students can actively and
perceptively listen to a wide variety of music. The ability to read music is not required for
enrollment in MUSI 150. 3 HRS
ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND TRANSFER
MUSI 150 fulfills 3 of the 9 semester hours of credit in Humanities/Fine Arts required for
the A.A. or A.S. degree. It satisfies the Fine Arts component of this requirement. MUSI
260 should transfer to other Illinois colleges and universities as the equivalent of the
General Education Core Curriculum course F1 905D, described in the Illinois
Articulation Initiative. However, students should consult an academic advisor for
transfer information regarding particular institutions. Refer to the IAI web page for
information as well at www.itransfer.org
COURSE OBJECTIVES (LEARNING OUTCOMES)
Students who successfully complete MUSI 260 should be able to:

Identify works of music that represent World cultures and their musical traditions.
[D2: appreciate how human knowledge and experience is broadened by the study
of culturally diverse perspectives].
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
Listen to music with sensitivity and formal understanding. [C5: Demonstrate an
awareness of and a sensitivity to non-verbal communication]

Recognize various periods, terms, mediums, and themes in a wide range of
musical genres. Gain an understanding of musician’s careers, stylistic traits and
contributions to world music.

Understand the cultural, social and theoretical framework that underlies the
production of different musical styles. [D3: Articulate the many historical
contributions of culturally diverse peoples, both to developments in various
disciplines and to the development of our national and global community]

Identify appropriate topics for scholarly research in the study of music history and
repertoire; utilize standard bibliographic and other research tools; select suitable
sources and methodology; and write papers presenting the results of their research
while observing the conventions of scholarly discourse. [C6: Distinguish between
qualitative and quantitative research and select, engage, and document primary
and secondary source materials appropriate to a particular discipline]
INSTRUCTIONAL OVERVIEW & STUDENT EXPECTATIONS
MUSI 150.92 is a sixteen-week, 3 credit hour online course that covers various topics in
Western European, American and World music. In addition to our study of the music
itself, we will examine historical, cultural and social circumstances that are essential to
the artists and musical approaches discussed in this course. Traditional sections of this
course involve two and a half hours of lecture per week, assigned reading, assigned
listening, several quizzes, a midterm exam, and a final exam. I have altered this
curriculum to smoothly transition from the traditional to the online environment.
The fact that this is a full, online course means that you will have virtually no face-toface time with your instructor. For you, the student, this means that you will have to be
self-managed and self-directed in order to succeed in this course. You will also have to
be diligent about following instructions. You will be evaluated on your understanding off
all of the materials presented in this course. Therefore, my advice to you is to quickly
establish a daily routine in which you are contributing to online discussion and reviewing
assigned materials. If you do this, I can almost guarantee that you will get something out
of this course. Which is what you paid for right? The content is broken up into weekly
lessons. Each weekly lesson contains its own lectures materials, assigned reading,
assigned listening, assigned film (when applicable) and required discussion.
COURSE NAVIGATION
Fall, 2014 Blackboard Orientation & Support
If you haven’t already, please visit and thoroughly review the Fall 2014 Blackboard
Orientation and Support course located your personal myBlackboard homepage. (You
must be logged into myHeartland). This will be a resource for you not only as an
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introductory tool, but also as a reference guide throughout the duration of the semester.
Most technical issues and questions can be resolved here. Additionally, the Orientation
and Support course also provides a list of various software updates and components you
will need in order to access all of the content in MUSI 150.92.
Course Homepage
Once you have selected and clicked on the link to this course (Fall 2014, Music
Appreciation) from your myBlackboard homepage, you will arrive at the main page for
our course. The main page will have a toolbar to the left as well as an announcement
board, which takes up the majority of the page. The toolbar is where you can access all
of the courses’ content. Here you will find content areas (buttons) that will take you to
weekly content, the discussion board, course blogs, grades and tech support. Each of the
weekly folders contains lecture slide and instructions for your assigned reading and
listening. The specific content areas and activities are described in more detail below.
Also, the individual and group discussions (located in the discussion board) are a
significant part of your grades and are explained further in this document.
COURSE CONTENT
Online Lecture
Each week’s content contains a subfolder dedicated to lecture content. Here, you have
access to PowerPoint slides (saved in PDF format) that accompany the weekly assigned
reading. Audio files that coincide with online lecture slides may be used as well.
Assigned Reading
Weekly content includes a subfolder containing assigned reading drawn from the
required textbook as well as periodic selected supplemental reading.
Assigned Listening
Weekly assigned listening requirements and instructions will be posted into your weekly
content folders. Your required listening will be pulled from the required course DVD
that contains all of the recordings (Forney, Kristine & Joseph Machlis. The Norton
Recordings. W.W. Norton & Co., 2011. DVD.)
Norton StudySpace
With your newly purchased textbooks, students will have access to Study Space online,
which also accompanies the course textbook. If you purchased a used textbook you may
still purchase access to StudySpace for a small fee. Please note the having access Access
to StudySpace is required!
Film
Subfolders containing film (mostly historical documentaries) relevant to course materials
are periodically included within the weekly content.
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Group Discussion
Group and individual discussion will be a major portion of the your grades in this course.
A discussion forum is presented for each week. In each forum, you are required to
respond to questions, which cover key topics from online lecture, assigned reading and
assigned listening. Each weekly forum is worth up to 25 points. You will be evaluated
weekly on the substance of your contributions, understanding of course material and your
ability to write in a coherent, academic fashion. All of your initial responses to the
online discussion questions will be due no later than the Thursday of the current week, by
11:59pm. Your replies and peer grading/coaching will be due by the Sunday of the
current week no later than 11:59pm. Your weekly posts will be evaluated and given a
score between 0 and 25 points. Please Note: Additional required discussion questions
will periodically be added in addition to the questions that have already been
posted. Additionally, in traditional sections of this course, a major research paper is
required. These discussion boards replace that requirement as well as attendance
and participation from the traditional sections. Thus, it is of the upmost importance
that you take your responses seriously. In order to do so, you will need to ensure
that you are keeping up with all of the course content. Please review your course
syllabus for a summary of additional exams and assignments.
SUMMARY OF ASSIGNMENTS & EXAMS
Weekly Discussion Forums
Weekly discussion forums are worth up to 25 points each week. Each weekly forum is
worth up to 25 points (200 points total for the semester). You will be evaluated weekly
on the substance of your contributions, understanding of course material and your ability
to write in a coherent, academic fashion. All of your initial responses to the online
discussion questions will be due no later than the Thursday of the current week, by
11:59pm. Your replies and peer grading/coaching will be due by the Sunday of the
current week no later than 11:59pm. Your weekly posts will be evaluated and given a
score between 0 and 25 points. Please Note: Additional required discussion questions
will periodically be added in addition to the questions that have already been
posted. Additionally, in traditional sections of this course, a major research paper is
required. These discussion boards replace that requirement as well as attendance
and participation from the traditional sections. Thus, it is of the upmost importance
that you take your responses seriously. In order to do so, you will need to ensure
that you are keeping up with all of the course content. Please review your course
syllabus for a summary of additional exams and assignments.
Online Quizzes
Online quizzes may periodically be administered to assess your understanding and
progress on particular sections that are covered in class. Plenty of advance notice will be
given prior to any quiz.
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Take-Home Midterm Exam (Due No Later Than Tuesday, October 7thh at
11:59pm)
The midterm is a take home exam worth approximately 150 points and will be posted to
Blackboard several weeks before its due date. It covers a lot of ground and requires a
considerable amount of writing, thus it is strongly recommended that you begin your
work as soon as early possible. You must type your responses and submit to me via file
attachment at travis.hoover@heartland.edu no later than Tuesday, October 7th at
11:59pm. You may use any of the resources utilized in class such as the reading
materials, lecture slides, film and assigned listening. You are required to do your own
work and to present your own thoughts and ideas. Direct copying from any
resource, including Wikipedia (or similar websites) and/or your classmates will
result in a failing grade. It is easy for me to tell who is using their own words and
who is not. Therefore, please follow these instructions carefully! No handwritten or
late papers will be accepted.
Final Exam (Taken Online)
You will be required to complete the final exam online through the online tests and
surveys database. A link to the exam will be posted along with a study guide at least a
couple of weeks prior to the exam. The final consists mainly of multiple choice and
true/false and includes questions and concepts covered throughout the entire semester.
GRADING SYSTEM
Student assessment will be based on the following (for attendance policy, see below):
Discussion Forum (Replaces Attendance, Participation &
Research Paper in Traditional Sections of This Course).
60%
Quizzes & Exams
40%
Grading Scale
90-100 % = A
80-89 % = B
70-79 % = C
60-69 % = D
Below 60% = F
MIDTERM WITHDRAWL POLICY
Students who are not meeting expectations in the discussion forums may be dropped
from the course at the discretion of the instructor. Furthermore, students who are failing
at the midterm are also at a risk of being dropped.
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IMPORTANT ACADEMIC DATES & DEADLINES
It is the student’s responsibility to know all college deadlines as it relates to withdraw
deadlines, exam dates, holidays and tuition related deadlines. If you are failing this
course by the midterm, it may be in your best interest to drop prior to the colleges’
deadline.
“INCOMPLETE” POLICY
I follow the official college policy, as found in the College catalog, as illustrated by the
following excerpt: “An incomplete grade may be given to a student who, by the
withdrawal date, can reasonably be expected to pass the course. Incompletes may be
granted only when justified by extreme circumstances (e.g., serious illness, accident,
death or serious illness in the immediate family).”
LATE ASSIGNMENTS, DISCUSSION POSTS AND MISSED EXAMS
Late assignments (such as discussion post deadlines), quizzes and exams may be granted
only when justified by extreme circumstances (e.g., serious illness, accident, death or
serious illness in the immediate family).” If you know you are going to miss a deadline
you are required to complete the necessary work before the due date.
STUDENT CONDUCT POLICY
In this course, strong emphasis is placed on maintaining an atmosphere conducive to
learning. Differences in perspectives, values and beliefs will surface in this classroom.
The free exchange of ideas is encouraged, but intimidating or disrespectful language and
behavior have no place in such exchanges. Refer to College policies in the Heartland
Community College Catalogue.
STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
If you have a learning disability or have other special needs or circumstances which may
have an impact on your performance in this course and which can be documented, you
are encouraged to make these known to the instructor as soon as possible so that any
necessary arrangements can be made.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND PLAGIARISM
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a fundamental principle of collegial life at Heartland Community
College and is essential to the credibility of the College’s educational programs.
Moreover, because grading may be competitive, students who misrepresent their
academic work violates the right of their fellow students. The College, therefore, views
any act of academic dishonesty as a serious offense requiring disciplinary measures,
including course failure, suspension, and even expulsion from the College. In addition,
an act of academic dishonesty may have unforeseen effects far beyond any officially
imposed penalties.
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Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to cheating, aiding or
suborning cheating or other acts of academic dishonesty, plagiarism, misrepresentation of
data, falsification of academic records or documents and unauthorized access to
computerized academic or administrative records or systems. Definitions of these
violations may be found in the college catalog.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presenting of others’ ideas as if they were your own. When you write a
paper, create a project, do a presentation or create anything original, it is assumed that all
work, except for that which is attributed to another author or creator, is your own.
Plagiarism is considered a serious academic offense and may take the following forms:
1) Copying word-for-word from another source and not giving that source credit.
2) Paraphrasing the work of another and not giving that source credit.
3) Adopting a particularly apt phrase as your own.
4) Using an image or a copy of an image without crediting its source.
5) Paraphrasing someone else’s line of thinking in the development of a topic as if it
were your own.
6) Receiving excessive help from a friend or elsewhere, or using another project as if
it were your own.
**** Please note that word-for-word copying is not the only form of plagiarism.
The penalties for plagiarism may be severe, ranging from failure on the particular
piece of work, failure in the course or expulsion from school in extreme cases.
[Adapted from the Modem Language Association’s MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers. New York: MLA, 1995: 26]
The work in this course is to be your own. Any misrepresentation of another’s work,
either student or published author, as your own, with or without the author’s permission,
violates the letter and spirit of academic expectations and policy. Such work will receive
a 0, even if the misrepresented portions are a minor portion of the work. Any pattern of
misrepresentation will cause the student to fail the course, even if the misrepresentation is
uncovered after a passing grade has been awarded.
SUPPORT SERVICES
Heartland Library Information: www.hcc.cc.il.us/library
The Library, located within the Academic Support Center (ASC) on the Normal campus,
provides Heartland students with a variety of on-campus resources that support both class
work and personal inquiry. These include: Reference tools (print and non-print),
periodicals, audio-visual materials and equipment, reserves, a general circulating
collection, and a fiction collection. Computer terminals provide access to various
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electronic resources, including Academic Universe, FirstSearch, and EbscoHost
databases; CARL online card catalog, and Internet access. Several electronic resources
are accessible from computers off campus. Students may borrow books from the fiction
and general collections and may renew materials, in person or by phone, if requests have
not been placed on them. Heartland students also have Interlibrary Loan privileges from
Heartland Library. Items usually take 1 to 3 weeks from date of the order to arrive.
The Library maintains a quiet study environment. Assistance is available for all library
and information needs. Milner Library at Illinois State University is a public institution
so you may use their collection on site. If you want to request to check out materials, you
may use your Heartland Library card, but it must be accompanied by a photo I.D.
For more information about Library services please call the Library at 268-8200.
Tutoring and Academic Support
Heartland Community College offers learning assistance in various forms at no cost to
Heartland students at the Academic Support Center (ASC) in Normal and at the Pontiac
and Lincoln Centers. Tutors are available at convenient times throughout the week.
Study groups, group tutoring facilitated by a trained tutor, are also available by request.
Help is also provided through instructional materials, study skills workshops, open
computing, and the Library. For more information about services available at each
location, please call the ASC in Normal at (309) 268-8235, the Pontiac Center (815) 8426777; or the Lincoln Center (217) 735-1731.
Testing Center Lab
The Testing Center proctors make-up exams for students enrolled in traditional courses.
In addition, regularly scheduled exams for alternative delivery courses are also proctored
at this Center. Exams are proctored free of charge in a secure and quiet environment.
For more information about exam proctoring services contact the Testing Center at (309)
268-8231. Students must present a current photo i.d. to take an exam in the Testing
Center. No one will be allowed to remain in the Testing Center past closing time, so
plan the time you need to take your exam/quiz accordingly.
Open Computing Lab
The Open Computing Lab provides free computing for HCC students at convenient
times throughout the week. The computer lab is staffed by trained Lab Assistants and
offers the use of approximately 70 computers, a scanner, a laser printer, and an electric
typewriter.
Disclaimer
The class will be notified if changes are needed due to class progress and unexpected
demands on the instructor. The instructor reserves the right to change this document as
necessary to adapt to evolving situations.
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