| Unit name | Music and Sex |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MUSI20111 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Scheding |
| 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) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Music |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Charles Darwin posited that mankind started making music for the purpose of sex. While this provocative claim is no doubt a gross exaggeration, music’s relationship with sexuality specifically and gender and the body more widely is nonetheless worthwhile exploring. Indeed, gender and queer studies, for example, today occupy a prominent place amongst musicological debates. In this unit, we will explore music and sex from a range of perspectives. Considering genres ranging from operatic and orchestral to pop music, we will begin by investigating music’s depiction of the erotic, before turning to music and camp-ness. Next, we will consider how musicology has long sidelined the body, before turning our attention to issues of femininity and masculinity. Throughout the course, our thinking will increasingly be informed by key texts in musicological gender and queer studies.
This unit’s aims are:
1) to introduce students to a repertory of varying musical genres embracing both art music and popular styles through a consistent theoretical lens;
2) to hone students’ skills in critical and highly interdisciplinary thinking;
3) to allow students to engage with critical texts about music, sexuality and gender;
4) to develop students’ skills in critical listening;
5) to develop students’ skills in the oral and written presentation of their ideas
At the end of the unit, a successful student will be able to:
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, including lectures and self-directed exercises.
Individual workfile (70%). 500-word blog entries for each of any five weeks of the unit, summarising the key points of the material encountered in pre-class reading and responding to it critically. Students must submit all five posts in order to gain credit for the unit. Towards the end of the unit, students choose three entries to submit without revision as their workfile for a summative mark. (ILOs 1-5 and 7)
Podcasts, in groups of up to 3 students, 10 mins in total (30%) (ILOs 1, 3, 4, 6, 8)
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. MUSI20111).
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 University 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. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
