Springfield College-Benedictine University at Springfield
Fall Semester 2009
http://www.sci.edu/classes/ellertsen/humanities/hum223syllabus.html
Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. -- Charlie 'Bird' Parker
Humanities 223-01 meets from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday in Dawson 220 (computer lab). Instructor is Pete Ellertsen, 211 Beata Hall (old Ursuline convent), telephone 217-525-1420x519. e-mail
I. Catalog description. Ethnic Cultural Expression in American Music (3 hours). A study of selected artistic traditions of marginalized American subcultures, with particular attention to Scots-Irish and African American musical traditions and their commodification by the theater and the sound recording industry. Minstrel shows, gospel, country, blues and rock will be emphasized.
II. Textbook and materials. The Black and White of American Popular Music by Vera Lee (Schenkman Books, 2007); Robert Palmer, Deep Blues (Penguin, 1982).
III. Mission Statement. The mission of Springfield College in Illinois is to provide students the best liberal arts education in the Ursuline tradition of a nurturing faith-based environment. We prepare students for a life of learning, leadership and service in a diverse world.
Mission statement of Benedictine University. Benedictine University at Lisle dedicates itself to the education for the undergraduate and graduated students from diverse ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds. As academic community committed to liberal arts and professional education distinguished and guided by its Roman Catholic tradition and Benedictine heritage - the University prepares its students for a lifetime as active, informed and responsible citizens and leaders in the world Community.
IV. Goals, Objectives and Outcomes
A. Goals. Upon completion of the course the student will:
-- Appreciate both universal and specific cultural values as expressed African American musical traditions, and in the music of the American theater and the sound recording industry.
-- Evaluate the esthetic and artistic contributions of orally transmitted African American musical traditions to blues, gospel, jazz and popular musical genres; and analyze their characteristic forms of artistic expression as part of the nation's multicultural heritage.
-- Reflect on cross-cultural communication processes and evaluate assumptions and beliefs determined by commercial communications and entertainment media in a culturally diverse society
-- Understand the processes and ethical implications of cultural appropriation and commodification of artistic expression in a mass society
B. Objectives. The following Common Student Learning Objectives adopted Dec. 9, 2004, are addressed:
Content Knowledge (Lifelong Learning) Know and apply the central concepts of the subject matter. (CK-1)
Content Knowledge (Lifelong Learning) Use current research to support assumptions and beliefs. (CK-2)
Communication Skills (Lifelong Learning and Leadership) Communicate effectively in oral and written forms (CS-1)
Problem-Solving Skills (Lifelong Learning and Leadership) Seek information and develop an in-depth knowledge base, grounded in research. (PS-2); Use self-reflection to enhance personal growth and understanding of content (SR-3)
Global Perspectives (Diversity) Recognize the importance of diversity of opinion, abilities and cultures. (GP-1)
C. Course Based Student Learning Objectives (Outcomes). Upon completion of the course, students will demonstrate their mastery of the following learning outcomes:
CBSLO-1. Explain how a fusion of Scots-Irish and African America modes of religious, artistic and cultural expression has been reflected in the development of American popular and religious music and from the early 19th century to the present (CK-1, CK-2, CK-3, PS-2).
CBSLO-2. Describe the ways in which artists negotiate the conflict inherent in the commercialization by the music industry of folk traditions and their underlying esthetic values (CK-1, GP1).
CBSLO-3. Evaluate the esthetic merit of specific musical expressions in popular genres including the minstrel stage, spirituals, old-time and country music, ragtime, blues and rock (CK-1, SR-3, GP-1).
CBSLO-3. Exercise critical thinking in the use of current research and evaluative skills in written and oral presentation, study and research, including facility with using the World Wide Web for research and evaluating Web sites for content (CK-1, CS-1, SR-3).
V. Teaching Methods/Delivery System. Culture involves more than reading great literature or going to the opera. The humanities in general and history in particular are an accumulation of ideas and values that can be drawn upon so we can survey the past, find understanding for the present and better plan for the future. While we will ground our survey of cultural expression in the history of specific Scots-Irish and African American musical genres that have influenced the larger American culture, we will also consider these developments as case studies that illustrate larger esthetic points and broader cultural trends. Teaching methods may include class discussion, lecture, small group activities, student presentations, guest speakers and/or videotapes. There will be written assignments (both in- and out-of-class), conferences and quizzes as needed; written journals will be turned in to the instructor or posted to Hog-fiddle, the class Web log. In class we will listen to musical selections from the instructor's collection and visit Web sites that focus on specific cultural developments and styles of music; in order for students to keep this information in perspective, it is essential to attend class and to keep up with assigned readings in the textbook and on the Internet.
VI. Course Requirements. As follows:
Attendance Policy. Class attendance is mandatory. Since musical selections will be played in class, absences cannot be made up. As in all college classes, students will need to take responsibility for their own learning outcomes -- i.e., for what they learn. It is understandable that illnesses and emergencies may arise. In either case, please notify the school office or leave a message with the instructor by e-mail at pellertsen@sci.edu or telephone at 217 525-1420, ext. 519. If a student misses a class, it is that student's responsibility to get class notes and assignments from a classmate; in-class work, by its very nature, cannot be made up. Class attendance will directly impact your final grade.
Reading assignments. Please see course calendar below. In addition to the textbooks, I will link the electronic copy of this syllabus/calendar to World Wide Web sites that will allow us to focus on certain aspects of the cultural and artistic norms of the communities and musicians we study. You need to keep up with the readings in order to understand the broad historical context for what we discuss in class.
Written and oral assignments. You will write 250- to 500-word journals on specific questions to be posted a week ahead of time to Hog-fiddle or the message board linked to the instructor's faculty webpage, or assigned in class without prior notice. These journals are designed to help you focus on the topic(s) we cover in class; some journal assignments will be reflective in nature, i.e. they will ask you to reflect on how your attitudes have changed as you engage the material in the course. All journals will address CSLOs CK-1, CS-1 and GP-1; some may also address CK-1, PS-2 and SR-3 as stipulated in the calendar below. There will be a midterm and a final exam, each of which will address CSLO CK-1 and GP-1. Each student will prepare a documented term paper (at least 2,000 words or eight pages) and deliver an oral report on some aspect of cultural and artistic expression in traditional music or a commercial genre derived from traditional music: a related artistic endeavor or subject to be agreed upon by the instructor and the student. In addition to CK-1 and GP1, the term paper will address CLSOs CK-2, CS-1 and PS-2. Additional in-class writing may be assigned without notice.
Means of evaluation of outcomes. Journals will be evaluated for mastery of CBSLOs as evidenced by an evaluation of content, including clarity of thought and the use of relevant detail to support the student's conclusions. A final examination will be given, consisting of essay and short-answer questions, which will be evaluated for content. Quizzes and in-class journal exercises may be assigned without notice at the discretion of the instructor. Contribution to class discussion and participation in on-line research exercises in class will weigh heavily in each student's grade.
Final grade weighting is as follows:
-- Class participation, 25 percent
-- Written/oral presentation, 25 percent
-- Midterm and Final Exam, 25 percent
-- Journals, 25 percent
Grading scale: A = 90-100. B = 80-89. C = 70-79. D = 60-69. F = 0-59. Please note: The grade of "E" has been changed to "F." You don't want either.
Academic Integrity Statement. Academic and professional environments require honesty and integrity, and these qualities are expected of every student at Springfield College-Benedictine University. In accordance with such expectations, academic integrity requires that you credit others for their ideas. Plagiarism, whether intentional or not, is a grievous offense. Any time you use words or ideas that are not your own, you must give credit to the author, whether or not you are quoting directly from that author. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism. Any incident of plagiarism and/or academic dishonesty may result in serious consequences. Penalties for academic dishonesty vary depending on the severity or extent of the problem but are always serious. The following are consequences you may face for academic dishonesty:
• a failing grade or “zero” for the assignment;
• dismissal from and a failing grade for the course; or
• dismissal from the Institution.
Please refer to the Springfield College Benedictine University Catalog or the Student Handbook for a complete discussion of the Academic Integrity policy.
Grade Appeal Process. According to the Springfield College Catalog, grade appeals must be initiated 90 days prior to the end of one semester after the course in question has been completed. The process for appealing a grade is outlined below.
First, contact the Instructor.
1. A student must appeal to his/her instructor in writing (e-mail is acceptable) and provide specific reasons why his/her grade should be changed.
2. The instructor must respond to the student in writing (e-mail is acceptable) and provide a copy to the division chair. Second, contact the Division Chair.
3. If the student wishes, he/she may then appeal to the division chair in writing (e-mail is acceptable) and provide specific reasons why his/her grade should be changed without the instructor’s permission. The student should understand that overwhelming evidence must be presented to the division chair to prove that the current grade is incorrect.
4. The division chair must respond to the student in writing (e-mail is acceptable) and provide a copy to the academic dean. Lastly, contact the Academic Dean.
5. If the student wishes, he/she may appeal to the academic dean in writing (e- mail is acceptable) and provide specific reasons why his/her grade should be changed without the instructor’s or the division chair’s permission. The student should understand that overwhelming evidence must be presented to the academic dean to prove the grade is incorrect.
6. The academic dean must respond to the student in writing (e-mail is acceptable). The academic dean’s decision is final.
Incomplete Request. To qualify for an “I” grade, a minimum of 75% of the course work must be completed with a passing grade, and a student must submit a completed Request for an Incomplete form to the Registrar’s Office. The form must be completed by both student and instructor, but it is the student’s responsibility (not the instructor’s) to initiate this process and obtain the necessary signatures. Student Withdrawal Procedure It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw from a course by completing the appropriate form, with appropriate signatures, and returning the completed form to the Advising Office. Please refer to the Student Handbook for important financial information related to withdrawals.
VIII. Course Outline.
A. Traditional music ethnic subcultures and the survival of traditional conventions and attitudes in commercially mediated pop culture
Scots-Irish cultural norms, musical conventions and artistic values; and their development from New England psalmody and traditional balladry through country and rock genres
African American cultural norms, musical conventions and artistic values; and their development from West African genres through blues, jazz and rock
B. The influence of traditional ethnic musical values and conventions on selected genres of American sacred and popular music
Fusion of Anglo-Celtic and African American conventions in traditional string band music, popular song and congregational hymnody
Sacred music -- from colonial psalmody and traditional West African forms, through shape-note hymnody, black spirituals and "Doctor Watts songs" to contemporary Southern and black gospel
Theater -- from colonial times through the minstrel stage, "medicine shows," vaudeville and Broadway musicals
Ragtime and jazz -- from early fusion of African American, French and Caribbean styles through Scott Joplin, big band orchestration, bop and modern jazz
Blues, R&B (rhythm and blues) and rock
C. Negotiation of issues of cultural identity, musical expression, commodification and artistic values as exemplified in the migration of Mississippi Delta blues to Chicago
IX. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Springfield College in Illinois/Benedictine University provides individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in educational programs, activities, and services. Students with disabilities requiring accommodations to participate in campus-sponsored programs, activities, and services, or to meet course requirements, should contact the Director of the Resource Center as early as possible. If documentation of the disability (either learning or physical) is not already on file, it may be requested. Once on file, an individual student’s disability documentation is shared only at that individual’s request and solely with the parties whom the student wishes it shared. Requests are kept confidential and may be made by emailing jharris@sci.edu or by calling 217-525-1420, ext. 306.
X. Assessment. Goals, objectives, and learning outcomes that will be assessed in the class are those of SCI's statement of Common Student Learning Outcomes dated Dec. 9, 2004, as stated in Sections IV and VI of this syllabus above. In addition to a non-graded reflective essay regarding student learning outcomes throughout the course, the instructor will use embedded questions in graded work and other Classroom Assessment Techniques as deemed necessary in order to provide continuous improvement of instruction. Specific assignments will be assessed for students' progress toward the goals set forth in Common Student Learning Outcomes statement of Dec. 9, 2004, as stipulated above. Students are required to take part in all assessment measures.
XII. Tentative Calendar. As follows:
Week 1
Overview of issues of ethnic folk culture; artistic conventions and integrity; commercialization of artistic expression; and cultural diversity
Week 2
Read Lee, Chapters 1 and 2, on African-American musical traditions and the dynamics of their appropriation by white culture
Week 3
Read Lee, Chapters 3-5 on ragtime and images of women in black and white popular song
Week 4
Read Lee, Chapters 7-9 on "breaking in," crossing over and Tin Pan Alley
Week 5
Read Lee, Chapter 10-12 on the origins and development of of jazz and swing
Week 6
Read Lee, Chapters 13 and 14 on the fall of swing, the rise of bop, critics and controversy
Week 7
Read Lee, Chapter 15, "The Dance Connection" MIDTERM.
Week 8
Read Palmer, Prologue and Part I, on the development of blues and the culture of the Mississippi Delta (pp. 1-92)
Week 9
Read Palmer, Part II, on Muddy Waters and his move to Chicago (95-169)
Week 10
Read Palmer, Part III, on the Chicago blues (173-253).
Week 11
Read Palmer, Epilogue, "The World Boogie" (255-77).
Weeks 12-13
Oral presentations and video.
Week 14
Review for final examination. Final TBA.
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