Last modified: 27 Oct 2022 18:30
From its inception in the late 19th/early 20th century, Western musical modernity has contained within itself elements of geographically diverse cultures. Paying close attention to decisive political shifts and the facts of colonialism, post-colonialism and decolonialism, students will study a range of modern music showing the importance of various Asian, African and Latin American music for Western musical modernity and how the traditions and practices of Western music have been embraced in turn in innovative ways in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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The course will be taught in a series of ten lecture/seminars each of which will have a distinctive topic involving students listen to a range of music and to engage with texts and scores. While the global situation (in North America and elsewhere in Europe) will be considered, the course will be focused (at least in year 1) particularly on France (French music and culture) as a significant location for the meeting of East and West, North and South. We will study the transition from the exotic and largely decorative references to other music in the 19th century to the ever-greater engagement with other cultures that can be dated to the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1889. We will study (i) the engagement by French composers, ethnomusicologists, writers from Debussy to the present with other non-Western music and cultures; (ii) the work of a number of Asian composers (e.g. from China, Japan and Vietnam) who studied and/or worked in France; (iii) the attraction of certain currents of French music and aesthetics for a number of Asian composers who did not study or live in France. We will also consider the kinds of political engagements and cultural institutions which have made this rich exchange possible: opportunities for musical study and performance in France; shared bi-national celebrations featuring music by French and Asian composers (e.g. China-France) and a generous radio broadcasting network (France Musique) which celebrates a rich global, post-colonial aesthetic and culture. All of this will be studied in the light of France’s ongoing struggles with racism and engagement with postcolonialism and decolonialism.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 36 | Feedback Weeks | 39 | |
| Feedback |
Assessment consists of: 1x 2,000-word Essay, and 1x 4,000-word Essay. Feedback provided via Turnitin. |
Word Count | 6000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Students should have knowledge and understanding of: the links between European (particularly French) and various Asian and African musics from 1889 to the early 21st century. |
| Procedural | Analyse | By the end of the course students should be able to: identify, analyse and research aspects of Western and Asian and/or African influence in selected musical works of the period. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | By the end of the course students should be able to: think, speak and write cogently about the relationship between musical cultures in relation to global cultural forces |
| Reflection | Create | By the end of the course students should be able to: discuss complex issues with clarity and cogency, both orally and in writing. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Feedback provided via Turnitin. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Students should have knowledge and understanding of: the links between European (particularly French) and various Asian and African musics from 1889 to the early 21st century. |
| Procedural | Analyse | By the end of the course students should be able to: identify, analyse and research aspects of Western and Asian and/or African influence in selected musical works of the period. |
| Procedural | Evaluate | By the end of the course students should be able to: think, speak and write cogently about the relationship between musical cultures in relation to global cultural forces |
| Reflection | Create | By the end of the course students should be able to: discuss complex issues with clarity and cogency, both orally and in writing. |
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