In addition to coming to class prepared - having read the specified texts and listened to the specified works - students complete two forms of assignments during the term: written reviews of live performances and a term paper plus presentation.
You're required to submit four reviews, each evaluating a live performance of a suitable musical work. Each review ought to be 1-3 pp. in length (ca. 500 words), and ought to distinguish between the strengths and weaknesses of the work and of the performance (e.g., a piece might be brilliantly composed, but sloppily performed... or vice versa). Toward the latter end, you ought to learn as much as possible about each piece before attending the performance, especially if a recorded performance is available by which you can familiarize yourself with the work.
Some Points of Inquiry (PDF)
Further Thoughts (PDF)
During the semester, you'll choose and pursue a topic of research grounded in the techniques and trends that we survey. You may investigate a particular work, or a composer, or a musical style, and your choice need not be drawn directly from the music covered during the lectures. You may choose to consider your chosen topic strictly within the context of contemporary music history, or you may incorporate perspectives from another discipline, such as cognitive psychology, ethnomusicology, feminist theory, gender studies, literary criticism, mathematics, philosophy, theology, or the visual arts. That is, a purely analytic paper is possible, but your investigation of the music can be energized and enriched by engaging one of your extra-musical intellectual interests.
Your work on the term paper will proceed in monitored stages, as follows:
Due in Lec #11 (5% of semester grade)
Format (2.5%) + Quality (2.5%)
"C" = specification of topic, with preliminary bibliography
"B" = as above, plus outline of paper
"A" = as above, plus abstract of paper and abstract of presentation
Due in Lec #17 (5% of semester grade)
Format (2.5%) + Quality (2.5%)
"C" = 3-5 pp., footnotes = ca. 10% of total text
"B" = 5-7 pp., footnotes = ca. 20% of total text
"A" = 7-9 pp., footnotes = ca. 40% of total text
Due Two Days After Lec #24 (10% of semester grade)
Format (5%) + Quality (5%)
10-12 pp., with complete footnotes = ca. 50% of total text
Additionally, you'll present selected findings to the class, during one of the May class meetings. I recommend that you prepare a text, from which you may read directly, of ca. 5-7 pp. in length, or perhaps slightly less (depending on the duration of the audio excerpts you play by way of illustration).
Selected Findings (10% of semester grade)
Format (5%) + Quality (5%)
"C" = duration of 5-8 minutes, or 17-20 minutes
"B" = duration of 8-10 minutes, or 15-17 minutes
"A" = duration of 10-15 minutes
NB: All page counts above refer to double-spaced text in a 12-point font, with footnotes printed in 10-point type. Depending on the typeface and the appropriate vocabulary, each page might run between 200 and 300 words (as counted by software). Naturally, the goal is not to fill pages per se, but to present interesting content in a clear and thorough manner.