| Unit name | Music in Times of War |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MUSI30128 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Kate Guthrie |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
Technical knowledge of music (ability to read notation fluently is essential; music A level or Associated board grade 8 or equivalent may be required) |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
N/A |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
N/A |
| School/department | Department of Music |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Unit Description
War has been a recurrent feature of modernity, defining and destroying nations, devastating cities and the countryside, and placing strenuous demands on human and social resources. Despite its longstanding associations with beauty, civilisation and humanitarian values, music has time and again been co-opted in times of war. Taking this paradox as its starting point, this unit explores the different roles that music has played in key conflicts in the history of Western Europe and America from the French Revolution to the contemporary War on Terror. Featuring a range of repertoire from populist propaganda songs to large-scale orchestral works, it asks how composers, musicians, policy-makers and audiences have negotiated the demands of war. More broadly, the unit aims to use war as a lens through which to examine the impact that characteristic developments of modernity, such as the expansion of the printing press, the creation of nation states, and the rise of the middle classes, had on musical culture.
Unit Aims
Students will have the opportunity to:
1) expand their knowledge of how music has been used in key conflicts in Western and American history;
2) think critically about the ideological values that have justified music’s co-option to wartime agendas;
3) engage in critical discussion about key debates in war studies and Western music historiography;
4) develop their ability to assess the relative value of primary and secondary source materials;
5) improve their skills in writing about a variety of musical styles and their reception.
Having completed the course, students should be able to:
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, including lectures and self-directed exercises.
3000-word essay (60%). This exercise assesses ILOs 1-5.
Podcast, in groups of up to 3 students, of 15 mins (40%), ILOs 1 and 4
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. MUSI30128).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
