Music surrounds us. Music moves us. Music defines us.
And music is
a tool that communities use to struggle for social change and social
justice. Our course explores the power of music to be a force for
social change, in many settings, times and topics. We will examine
music from the American civil rights tradition, from the labor
movement, and anti-war music. We will get some sense of music and
politics from other countries - such as Chile, Zimbabwe, Nigeria,
and Greece. And we will explore contemporary issues and protest
music.
Course Requirements, Expectations and Outcomes
Our course connects us through three broad sets of
objectives: objectives directly related to our topic; the General Education / Portfolio Outcomes of the
College; and objectives related to Advising.
Substantive Objectives
- to develop an understand of how and why people communicate
desires for social justice musically, and
- to critically assess how music reflects, connects and
divides communities
- to appreciate and experience music from diverse settings and
communities
General Education Learning Outcomes
The college has several general learning outcomes which relate to
the portfolio process. in our seminar we will particular focus on
Communication and Critical Thinking - we will work on
these through short writing exercises, reading of scholarly work on
music and social movements, and the analysis of new music. Various assignments will also relate to
other outcomes - such as Social Responsibility
(as we critically consider ways people seek social justice.
One of our main goals is to further develop a set of academic and
social skills that will contribute to your successful transition to
the PMC community.
Advising
We will work together, through both informal and formal meetings,
to ensure that you are making the right choices for your own
academic future. Some aspects of the advisory relationship include:
course selection; exploration of majors; short-term and long-term
goal setting; social/emotional support; and connecting you to
resources on campus to help you succeed.
Books
We will read various pieces about music and social change. The following
books are
available to purchase through
Akademos
on-line bookstore:
-
Mark Mattern. Acting in Concert.
(1998) ISBN:
9780813524849
-
Ron Eyerman. Music and Social Movements.
(1998).
ISBN:
9780521629669
Student Portal (http://portal.pmc.edu/estudent)
: We will use the student portal to maintain access to course
materials, including your grades on various assignments. All
information for this course will be posted or uploaded to that site
on a regular basis - so you can always find material you have missed
(or misplaced). It is your responsibility to check our course
sites, including the portal pages.
Grading and
Assessments
Please note: most written assignments should be submitted by email in
advance of their due date.
Homework: (20%)
These are short essays and other exercises on topics or readings related to our
class. Writing exercises will be not more than a page (about 300 words). We
will have at least one per week (sometimes two). Although these
are "graded" somewhat informally you should always take them
seriously.
Research Project: (20%)
The research project will explore a particular musician or
application of music to a social justice context. The written
submission of the project report will be about 10 pages long.
Essays on readings: (20%)
We will have two or three short essays that focus more carefully
and analytically on the readings we have been doing. These will
be about 3 pages long (about 1000 words).
Group Project: (20%).
Leadership Symposium: (10%). Participation in
and reflection on one of the leadership symposiums that will
take place during the term.
Participation: (10%). This includes more
than just showing up for class - although that is crucial!
Participation means being prepared with reading or other work;
willingness to share your ideas; willingness to consider and
respect the perspectives of others; engaging productively in
small group exercises.
General Policies
All written work will be evaluated in line with the
College Composition standards. Please refer to the
SPS web site for additional information on grading standards and advice on writing social science papers.
All reasonable accommodations will be made for students with learning disabilities. Please talk with me
as necessary and/or contact Mary Walsh in the Learning Resource Center.
Most work should be submitted by email in advance of the class meeting at
which it is due.
All work is expected to be submitted on time in the interests of efficiency and fairness to all involved.
All written work may be revised, including work submitted after its due
date. It is in your interest to submit all work
on time - falling behind always leads to work that is rushed, anxiety that
is increased, learning that is limited, and grades that are lower than they
might be.
You should submit all work - work that I do not have can only count as a
zero in the final grading calculation.
Written work submitted that violates the
College
code of Academic Integrity will never be accepted for a grade. The
nature of the violation will determine any other responses. Learning to "do
right" is a learning process - but one at which we must succeed.
Attendance is expected. You will not be "rewarded" for showing up – but excessive absences will substantially harm your grade.
FYS 101: First year seminar. Fall 2008.
http://community.pmc.edu/vogelewi/fys101
