National University

1. Identify musical processes such as melody, accompaniment, homophony, polyphony, meter, and form.
2. Use technical concepts and terms from basic music theory.
3. Communicate successfully and coherently about musical form and contents.
4. Relate music to its social, spiritual and cultural contexts.
5. Appreciate the similarities among seemingly different musical traditions.

Course Content:
From ecology to aesthetics: How musicians 'clear' a space for expression and prepare listeners to engage with sound on a level other than what is required for survival in the world. (Examples: Hip-hop, early 18th cent. European keyboard music, 19th century Tibetan Opera)
The dimensions of music: pitch, time, timbre, and intensity. (Examples: Mongolian Epic Song, Mongolian Christian R & B)
What music 'does:' rhythm, contour, and lyrics (Examples: 1950s/60s Rastafarianism, 1990s Parisian Hard-core/hip-hop.)
How music is made: phrase, form, contrast, and repetition (Examples: Korean Folk Music, South Indian Classical Improvisation)
Music's role in society: image, text, movement, and life (Examples: French Buddhist Music, Native American ritual, Wagner in New York City)
Music notation and memory: tradition, literature, learning, remembering, reproducing. (Examples: Vietnamese Contemporary Catholic, 17th-century French orchestra music)
Listening to People: world-views, power, dissent, and conformity in music (Examples: Hate-speech music, American protest music, Chinese 'classical' song, European realist opera)

Course Preparedness:
MUS 327 is an upper-division music course. It assumes the mastery of prerequisite college-level skills in spelling, grammar, punctuation, paragraphing, and essay writing. This course provides instruction in world art; it does not address remedial writing issues at the sentence, paragraph, or essay level. The California Department of Education "English-Language Arts Content Standards for California Public Schools" offers context for understanding the standard for writing at the college level. Students who do not meet the standards outlined in the "English-Language Arts Content Standards" will not pass this course.

In short, MUS 327 assumes that students already "write with a command of standard English conventions, write coherent and focused texts that convey a well-defined perspective and tightly reasoned argument, and use clear research questions and creative and critical research strategies" (Standards, Grades Nine and Ten). requires college-level writing skills that exceed those required at the secondary level.

Course Workload:
Given the rapid pace of the course, it is necessary for students to keep on track and on task with the readings and assignments. In accordance with accreditation standards, National University requires approximately two hours of outside work for every contact hour (NU Catalog). For a 4.5-quarter unit course, there are 45 contact hours, plus a minimum of 90 hours outside work. Therefore, for the four-week onsite version of this course, students can expect to devote a minimum of four and one-half hours per day in order to complete the coursework. (Note: Depending on the initial skill level of the student, the number of hours needed may be much higher).  For the eight-week online version of this course, students can expect to devote a minimum of three hours per day (with about one day off per week) in order to complete the coursework. (Note: Depending on the initial skill level of the student, the number of hours needed may be much higher). Of course, the time may be spent in all sorts of ways--many hours over the weekend, for example, with fewer during the week, or whatever schedule works best for the student given the deadlines in the course.

Students are also reminded that all work must be generated independently and solely for this course. Any act of plagiarism (intentional or unintentional borrowing of another writer's published or unpublished material without proper attribution, use of an editor, or any other attempt to defraud the academic process) will meet with reprimand and possible dismissal from the course without credit (see the NU Catalog for other potential penalties). To avoid plagiarism, students should do their own work and submit work that is original to this course.

Some assignments for this course will not be submitted to the instructor but completed independently. Although it may appear that this work is optional, students are required to do the work as assigned in order to learn the related concepts. Note that while these assignments are not factored into grades formally, students will be assessed for their understanding of the concepts covered.

Incomplete A grade given at the discretion of the instructor when a student who has completed at least two-thirds of the course class sessions and is unable to complete the requirements of the course because of uncontrollable and unforeseen circumstances. The student must convey these circumstances (preferably in writing) to the instructor prior to the final day of the course. If an instructor decides that an "Incomplete" is warranted, the instructor must convey the conditions for removal of the "Incomplete" to the student in writing. A copy must also be placed on file with the Office of the Registrar until the "Incomplete" is removed or the time limit for removal has passed. An "Incomplete" is not assigned when the only way the student could make up the work would be to attend a major portion of the class when next offered.

An "I" that is not removed within the stipulated time becomes an "F." No grade points are assigned. The "F" is calculated in the grade point average.

Withdrawal Signifies that a student has withdrawn from a course after beginning the third class session. Students who wish to withdraw must notify their admissions advisor before the beginning of the sixth class session in the case of graduate courses, or before the seventh class session in the case of undergraduate courses. Instructors are not authorized to issue a "W" grade.