MUMH 1600.004: Music in Human Imagination (Honors College)
University of North Texas, College of Music
Division of Music History, Theory, and Ethnomusicology
Fall 2014 Syllabus
Dr. Deanna Bush
Class schedule: MWF 12:00 - 12:50pm, Room 321 (Music Building)
Contact information: Deanna.Bush@unt.edu
Office hours: MWF after class, Room 260, or by appointment.
Course Description:
MUMH 1600 is the entry-level music history course in the UNT College of Music undergraduate
curriculum. This is an Honors College section for non-music majors. In this course we will explore
various ways to experience music from different times and places. We will do it by developing
listening skills and critical thinking, gaining understanding of some of the functions music has had in
the past, and discovering various ways in which music can relate to us today. While the primary focus
of this course will be the history of Western European music (from the Middle Ages to the present), we
will also engage in active listening to other music traditions across the globe.
Goals and Objectives:
Students who participate fully and complete the course successfully will
• achieve familiarity with a variety of music in human cultures around the world
• gain representative knowledge of musical styles, genres and forms
• understand music in relation to its historical context and aesthetic postures
• develop listening skills and critical thinking through an active engage with the music
As an Honors course, this course will
• embrace and promote the goal of becoming an educated person, with the appropriate skills
necessary for pursuing this goal;
• emphasize academic excellence;
• assist students in building an intellectual framework that will prepare them for graduate study,
a career, and a lifetime of learning;
• provide opportunities for students to explore ideas and make conceptual linkages across
disciplinary boundaries;
• encourage students to explore concepts and values of community, including a cosmopolitan
worldview;
• give students the opportunity to engage the best faculty in small classes that emphasize
excellence in a supportive learning environment; and
• encourage faculty members to develop and try innovative approaches to course content and
teaching.
Furthermore, this course will
• emphasize development of analytical and evaluative skills through readings from primary
sources, journal articles, and other supplementary materials;
• encourage students to engage in high level thinking and learning through activities such as
intensive discussion; writing in small, collaborative learning settings; and intensive research
papers and projects;
• promote independent thinking by making students accountable for important aspects of their
learning;
• place material in a conceptual context that illustrates its importance and relationship to other
knowledge;
• provide enhanced opportunities for students to develop research skills and produce
independent, original research or creative products as part of the course requirements; and
• include innovative approaches to course content and teaching, so that Honors courses can
serve as campus-wide prototypes.
Required Materials:
Kerman, Joseph, and Gary Tomlinson. Listen, 7th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011 (with 6-CD
set, and Companion DVD).
The textbook and 6-CD set are available for purchase at the UNT Bookstore. This material is also
available electronically (e-book with streaming music) at:
http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/Catalog/product/listen-seventheditionkerman/
formatsandpackages/studentpurchaseoptions.
Course Website: https://learn.unt.edu/
Log in with your EUID and password. Follow the link to the course MUMH 1600.006 Music in Human
Imagination (Alonso-Minutti). It is important that you check this site daily. I will post assignments
guidelines, additional resources and review notes. In this site you can monitor your overall
performance in the course. * You are expected to take notes in this class. Power point notes will not
available for further consultation.
Communication Policy:
If you have a question, concern, or need to discuss an important situation, you can reach me in person
after every lecture or during my office hours (which is the channel I prefer the most). Alternatively, you
can communicate with me via email (in which case, please expect an answer within 48 hrs), or we can
schedule a chatting session through Blackboard IM.
Writing Assignments 300 pts
Self-Awareness: “Your” Music (Sept. 11) (50)
Go International: Cultural Diversity (Nov. 1) (100)
Concert Experience & Music Research (Dec. 4) (100)
Listening Journal (50)
In-Class Assignments & Pop Quizzes 100 pts
________________________
Total: 1000 pts
A= 900-1000 pts; B=800-899 pts; C=700-799 pts; D=600-699; F=0-599
1
Scheduled during the week of final exams.
Please make note of the exam dates—these will not change. Missed exams will not be made up with
the exception of the following cases: 1) severe illness—with documentation; 2) death of a close family
member; 3) required school activity—with documentation from a faculty member beforehand. If
circumstances prevent you from taking an exam on the scheduled date, you must notify me before
the exam takes place.
General Description of Exams and Assignments:
Exams: Each exam consists of a series of questions of diverse format based on the material covered
both in lecture and in weekly reading and listening assignments. There is a listening identification
component where you will be asked to identify several music selections as well as to discuss relevant
musical features (texture, instrumentation, form, genre, text, performance context, and the like). The
exams may include “mystery” pieces that carry certain stylistic resemblances to the ones studied in
class. In preparation for each exam, it is required that you spend daily time listening attentively to the
music selections assigned (that means: do not engage with any other activity but listening!).
Writing Assignments: More specific guidelines of these assignments will be posted on the course
website. You should submit your assignments through Blackboard. No late work will be accepted.
1) Self-Awareness: “Your” Music (1-2 pages). The purpose of this assignment is to gain an awareness
of the meaning and value of music in your own life. What music do you consider your own? Is there a
style of music that resonates with you? Is there a piece/song that you feel identified with? Why?
2) Go International: Cultural Diversity (3-4 pages). The goal of this assignment is to familiarize
yourself with the traditional or folk music of a culture other than your own. You will be asked to
interview a person (it could be a local musician, another student, a co-worker, a neighbor, a family
member) who comes from a different country than your own. Ask this person to share with you the
value he/she gives to the traditional music of his/her country and how that music reflects a particular
cultural identity. In a short essay narrate your findings.
3) Concert Experience and Music Research (3-4 pages). The purpose of this assignment is threefold:
a) to experience a concert setting; b) to choose a work played in that concert and place it in a historical
context; c) to elaborate a guide for further research on that particular work (annotated bibliography).
Proof of attendance must be stapled to your essay (ticket and program). You cannot report on a
concert in which you are performing. The UNT College of Music offers a wide array of free events
weekly. Visit the electronic calendar of events: http://www.music.unt.edu/calendar/.
4) Listening Journal (one entry per week). The purpose of keeping a listening journal is to actively
engage with music closely related to that discussed in class, but not included in the course materials.
You will be asked to create a short narrative that shows a deep engagement with a musical work of
your choice closely related to the music studied in class during that particular week.
In-Class Assignments & Pop Quizzes: Success in this class depends also upon the degree to which
you engage yourself in the classroom. During the semester there will be several oral and written in class
exercises, and pop quizzes. The dates of these will not be announced beforehand. If you are
absent (or late) the day when an exercise/quiz is collected, it cannot be made up and you will not
receive credit.
Attendance:
You have a total of four (3) unauthorized absences allowed without penalty. These are to be used for
circumstances such as illness, funeral, a doctor’s appointment, a traffic accident, congested highways,
family emergencies, etc. After the third absence, each time you miss a class your course grade will be
dropped 100 points (a letter grade). After the 6th absence you will be automatically dropped from
the course with a WF. Authorized absences for university-sponsored events require you to submit an
Authorized Class Absence Form (with all the necessary signatures) and to fill out the corresponding
authorized absence card within three days of the absence. If you fail to follow the appropriate
procedures, your absence will be considered unauthorized.
Lateness: Two times of late arrivals (5 minutes into the hour) = one absence. If you are late more than
5 minutes after the hour you are welcome to attend lecture, but it will count as an absence. There will
be no make up for pop quizzes or assignments due at the start of class if you come in late. In addition
to not showing up for class, any of the following cases counts as a full absence:
1) Sleeping in class—or seeming to do so putting your head on your desk—is an absence.
2) Talking to another student during class is an absence.
3) Reading in class any material not related to the lecture is an absence.
4) Any form of writing other than taking notes from the lecture is an absence.
5) Unauthorized early departure.
Student Behavior in the Classroom:
Student behavior that interferes with an instructor’s ability to conduct a class or other students’
opportunity to learn is unacceptable and disruptive and will not be tolerated in any instructional
forum at UNT. Students engaging in unacceptable behavior will be directed to leave the classroom
and the instructor may refer the student to the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities to
consider whether the student’s conduct violated the Code of Student Conduct. The university’s
expectations for student conduct apply to all instructional forums, including university and electronic
classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The Code of Student Conduct can be found at:
www.unt.edu/csrr.
Electronic Devices: The use of electronic devices such as cell phones, mp3 players, laptops, and the
like in the classroom, is strictly forbidden.
Academic Integrity:
Every assignment in this course should be the result of your own personal creative effort: no cheating,
no external help, and no plagiarism. Academic Integrity is defined in the UNT Policy on Student
Standards for Academic Integrity. Any suspected case of Academic Dishonesty will be handled in
accordance with the University Policy and procedures. Possible academic penalties range from a
verbal or written admonition to a grade of “F” in the course. Further sanctions may apply to incidents
involving major violations. You will find the policy and procedures at:
http://vpaa.unt.edu/academicintegrity.htm.
Office of Disability Accommodation:
The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation for students with
disabilities. Students seeking accommodation must first register with the Office of Disability
Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you
with an accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your
specific needs in a course. You may request accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices of
accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in
implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester
and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. For additional
information see the Office of Disability Accommodation website at http://www.unt.edu/oda. You may
also contact them by phone at 940.565.4323.
Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (Undergraduates):
A student must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to continue to receive financial
aid. Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA in addition to successfully completing a
required number of credit hours based on total registered hours per term. Students cannot exceed
attempted credit hours above 150% of their required degree plan. If a student does not maintain the
required standards, the student may lose their financial aid eligibility.
If at any point you consider dropping this or any other course, please be advised that the decision to
do so may have the potential to affect your current and future financial aid eligibility. Please visit
http://financialaid.unt.edu/satisfactory-academic-progress-requirements for more information about
financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress. It may be wise for you to schedule a meeting with an
academic advisor in your college or visit the Student Financial Aid and Scholarships office to discuss
dropping a course being doing so.
Emergency Notification & Procedures:
UNT uses a system called Eagle Alert to quickly notify you with critical information in the event of an
emergency (i.e., severe weather, campus closing, and health and public safety emergencies like
chemical spills, fires, or violence). The system sends voice messages (and text messages upon
permission) to the phones of all active faculty staff, and students. Please make certain to update your
phone numbers at www.my.unt.edu. Some helpful emergency preparedness actions include: 1) know
the evacuation routes and severe weather shelter areas in the buildings where your classes are held,
2) determine how you will contact family and friends if phones are temporarily unavailable, and 3)
identify where you will go if you need to evacuate the Denton area suddenly. In the event of a
university closure, please refer to Blackboard for contingency plans for covering course materials.
Retention of Student Records:
Student records pertaining to this course are maintained in a secure location by the instructor of
record. All records such as exams, answer sheets (with keys), and written papers submitted during the
duration of the course are kept for at least one calendar year after course completion. Coursework
completed via the Blackboard on-line system, including grading information and comments, is also
stored in a safe electronic environment. You have a right to view your individual record; however,
information about your records will not be divulged to other individuals without the proper written
consent. You are encouraged to review the Public Information Policy and F.E.R.P.A. (Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act) laws and the university’s policy in accordance with those
mandates at the following link: http://essc.unt.edu/registrar/ferpa.html
Student Evaluation of Teaching (SETE)
Student feedback is important and an essential part of participation of this course. The Student
Evaluation of Teaching (SETE) is a requirement for all organized classes at UNT. This short survey will
be made available at the end of the semester to provide you with an opportunity to evaluate how this
course is taught.
Disclaimer:
Any change or modification to the content of this syllabus and class schedule will be done at the
instructor’s discretion. The instructor reserves the right to make such changes deemed necessary to
satisfy the objectives of the course, to account for unforeseen events, and to best serve the interest of
students enrolled. Any change to the content of this document or prospective revisions will be
announced in class and will be posted immediately on the course website.