| Unit name | Inside Medieval Music |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MUSI20113 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Hornby |
| 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 is 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 |
Medieval music is often approached as a survey, with the development of musical style driving the discussion. In this unit, we take a totally different approach. We take a case study every week of a piece of medieval music, or a small group of pieces, and get right inside it. We will examine these pieces in their historical, cultural and social context. We will explore different ways of analysing them, in order to find ways of understanding their practical and aesthetic value, in their own time and today. We will explore what this kind of music might have meant to the people who created, performed and heard it. Students will build up an expert sense of different ways in which medieval music can be approached productively by scholars, and will be able to participate in scholarly debates about different conceptual and methodological approaches to the repertoire.
An Overview of Content
This unit will give you an opportunity to expand the breadth of your historical knowledge in the field of medieval music. You will expand your knowledge of the associated musical repertoire and to be able to comment accurately and perceptively on matters of style and structure. You will learn how to develop your ability to assemble and assimilate information from a wide variety of sources and how to engage in critical evaluation of texts about music. You will develop effective and detailed arguments to display competence in the practices, processes, techniques and methodologies that underpin musicological practice.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit students will be able to
1. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a diverse range of literary texts;
2. apply an understanding of critical and theoretical reading to specific issues articulated in the designated literary texts;
3. discriminate between different critical perspectives on the literature studied;
4. identify and present pertinent evidence to develop a cogent argument;
5. demonstrate skills in textual analysis, argumentation, and critical interpretation, using evidence from primary texts and secondary sources.
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, including seminars, workshops, and self-directed exercises.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative, required for credit)
5 blog entries of 500 words each (0%, but required for credit) [ILO 2]. Blog entries will be submitted for 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.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Individual workfile (35%) [ILO 2]
Towards the end of the unit, students choose three of their formative blog entries to submit without revision as their workfile for a summative mark.
Essay, 1500 Words (65%) [ILOs 1, 3, 4, 5]
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete assessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form of number of reassessment required.
Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
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. MUSI20113).
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.
