The World of Music

MUSHL 107, Section 05 Spring 2024

Adjunct Lecturer Stephanie L. George online / asynchronous
Office Hours: By appointment e-mail: stephanielou@gmail.com

Course Overview
This course is a survey of music and sonic cultures from around the world. The primary
objective of this course is for students to develop skills to listen to, identify, describe, and discuss
various musical styles, their meanings, and the historical contexts in which they emerge. An
overall aim of this course is for students to gain the ability to analyze how and why people
perform music and mobilize sonic practices that create meanings about identity, community,
politics, protest, the past and the future. Students will explore the significant roles of musical
performance in producing, transmitting, and/or subverting claims and knowledge about race,
class, and gender and other cultural concepts such as heritage, tradition, and authenticity.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
1. Identify and describe instruments, modes of transmission; performance practices, and
salient features of musical genres;
2. Analyze the significance of musical performances within particular historical contexts;
3. Interpret music both as sound and as cultural event or phenomenon and gain an enhanced
respect for the diversity of people and cultures from around the world;
4. Discuss and write analytically about various musical cultures and related topics.

Course Requirements
Participation/ Weekly Assignments 50%
Midterm Exam 25%
Final Paper 25%

Participation/ Weekly Assignments: With the online, asynchronous format for this course, your
virtual participation is paramount. Each week I will be posting a set of questions about the
readings and listening examples on Blackboard. You are required to complete these assignments
by writing your responses into the appropriate section on our Blackboard site. You are expected
to obtain a copy of the textbook (information about the textbook is located in this syllabus) and
to read selected pages to answer questions. You are expected to listen to music examples that
correlate with the readings and topics for each week. I will provide audio recordings which are
located under “Course Materials.” Assignments are due on Fridays by 5 PM each week.
Being able to communicate your ideas and to share them effectively with others is a vital skill,
whether through speaking or writing. I also encourage you to write about your personal opinions
and experiences, if any, about any of the music covered in this course in your assignments.

Midterm Exam: There will be a midterm exam consisting of several essay questions about the
material covered thus far in the semester. The midterm exam is be typed as a Word document
and uploaded to Blackboard. The exam is intended to gauge students’ overall progress in the
course as well as help guide students to questions that will be important for the final paper. The
exam will draw from readings, PowerPoint lecture slides, and audio examples.

Final Paper: The final paper will consist of a 5- to 7-page paper about a music culture of your
choice. You must include an audio or video example of the particular music culture you wish to
write about. Topics may range from issues about popular music to sounds and music from a
religious ritual. This audio example may be a “field recording,” i.e., a live music performance or
practice that you record from your phone or any other recording device. You must also
incorporate material from the textbook to help you make sense of your topic (at least five points
must be included and cited). It is due on the final day of our class.

Please note:

The midterm exam and the final paper must be uploaded on Blackboard as a Word
document. Students must submit these documents as attachments in the following format:
double-spaced, 1-inch margins, New Times Roman font, citations, and minimal use of space at
the header that includes student’s name, date, course number, and title.

Weekly assignments must be typed into the Blackboard space (NOT as an attachment).

To locate all assignments on Blackboard, select “Course Tools,” “Journals,” find the assignment
folder with its designated name, “Create Journal Entry,” and “Submit Entry.”

This class requires that you have functioning Hunter college email account that is connected to
Blackboard. You must check your email frequently (daily or every other day).

I will be posting PowerPoint lecture slides and video recordings every 2-3 weeks to summarize
the material covered up to that point in the course. They will be located on Black under “Course
Materials.” I may also hold live synchronous Zoom meetings that will be open-ended and for
students to ask questions to clarify course materials and to listen to music examples together and
to discuss them. Students are not required to attend Zoom meetings.

Office Hours: I hold office hours each week. To meet with me individually, email and we will
set up a time to meet on Zoom.
Attendance Policy: Class attendance is essential with our online asynchronous format. Your
weekly assignment submissions represent your class attendance. If the assignment is uploaded
late, that will count as being late to class. If you fail to submit a weekly assignment, this will be
considered an unexcused absence. Unexcused absence and lateness are unacceptable and can
significantly lower your grade. More than four absences can result in your being dropped from
the course. Assignments are due on Fridays by 5 PM each week.

Our virtual classroom is a space that affirms all forms of gender identity and expression. If you
prefer to be addressed by a different name other than what is listed on the class roster, please let
me and your classmates know. Feel free to correct me to use the correct gender pronoun.

Listening to musical examples listed in the text is part of your weekly assignments that will
enable you to answer the questions I post. If you have not listened to the music, you have not
completed your weekly assignment/ nor attended our virtual class.

Students who wish to withdraw from the class with a grade of W may do so by submitting a
Withdrawal form to One Stop (Room 217N) by the deadline (May 15th). The Withdrawal period
begins February 15th. Students who stop attending class without withdrawing officially will
receive a grade of WU which counts the same as F. The Music Department does not support
requests to have grades of WU changed retroactively to W. Grades of IN (“incomplete”) are
granted only in special cases at the end of the semester whereby a student who is otherwise
passing the course has a documented illness or other emergency that prevents them from
completing their final assignments or final exam, and then only when permission has been
granted in writing from the Department Chair, no later than one week before the final class.

Academic Integrity:
Plagiarism constitutes a serious breach of academic integrity and can have severe disciplinary
consequences. Plagiarism is defined as ‘any deliberate borrowing of the ideas, terms, statements,
or knowledge of others without clear and specific acknowledgement of the source” (Hunter
College catalog, p. 43). If it is found that you have committed plagiarism, you will fail and
receive an F for the course. You may also be subject to other disciplinary measures. You must
cite your sources properly to avoid the appearance of plagiarism.

Hunter College Statement on Academic Integrity:

“Hunter College regards acts of academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, cheating on examinations,
obtaining unfair advantage, and falsification of records and official documents) as serious
offenses against the values of intellectual honesty. The College is committed to enforcing the
CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity and will pursue cases of academic dishonesty to the Hunter
College Academic Integrity Procedures.”
Hunter College Policy on Sexual Misconduct:
In compliance with the CUNY Policy on Sexual Misconduct, Hunter College reaffirms the
prohibition of any sexual misconduct, which includes sexual violence, sexual harassment, and
gender-based harassment retaliation against students, employees, or visitors, as well as certain
intimate relationships. Students who have experienced any form of sexual violence on or off
campus (including CUNY-sponsored trips and events) are entitled to the rights outlined in the
Bill of Rights for Hunter College.

a. Sexual Violence: Students are strongly encouraged to immediately report the incident
by calling 911, contacting NYPD Special Victims Division Hotline (646-610-7272)
or the local police precinct, or contacting the College’s Public Safety Office (212-
772-4444).
b. All Other Forms of Sexual Misconduct: Students are also encouraged to contact the
College’s Title IX Campus Coordinator, Dean John Rose (jtrose@hunter.cuny.edu or
212-650-3262) or Colleen Barry (colleen.barry@hunter.cuny.edu or 212-772-4534)
and seek complimentary services through the Counseling and Wellness Services
Office, Hunter East 1123.

CUNY Policy on Sexual Misconduct Link:

https://www2.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/page-assets/about/administration/offices/
legal-affairs/POLICY-ON-SEXUAL-MISCONDUCT-10.1.2015-with-links.pdf

From the Office of AccessABILITY:

In compliance with the American Disability Act of 1990 (ADA) and with Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Hunter College is committed to ensuring educational parity and
accommodations for all students with documented disabilities and/or medical conditions. It is
recommended that all students with documented disabilities (Emotional, Medical, Physical,
and/or Learning) consult the Office of AccessAbility located at Room E1124 to secure necessary
academic accommodations. For further information and assistance, please call (212)
772-4857/TTY (212) 650-3230.

Required Text:
Miller, Terry E. and Andrew Shahriari, eds. 2021. World Music: A Global Journey. 5th Edition.
New York: Routledge.
https://hunter.textbookx.com/institutional/?action=browse#/books/4119085/

Course Schedule
(subject to change)

First week of classes: Introductions

Week 1 Assignment: Ch. 1: Fundamental Issues; Ch. 2: Aural Analysis

Week 2 Assignment: Ch. 3 Cultural Consideration: Beyond the Sounds Themselves

Week 3 Assignment: Ch. 4: Oceania: Australia, Papua New Guinea

Week 4 Assignment: Ch. 5: South Asia Part 1: North India (Hindustani)

Week 5 Assignment: Ch. 5: South Asia Part 2: South India (Carnatic); Religion; Indo-Caribbean

Week 6 Assignment: Ch. 5: South Asia Part 3: Popular Music

Week 7 Assignment: Ch. 6 Southeast Asia Part 1: Vietnam, Thailand

Week 8 Assignment: Ch. 6: Southeast Asia Part 2: Indonesia

Week 9 Assignment: Ch. 7: East Asia Part 1: China; Mongolia

Week 10 Assignment: Ch. 7: East Asia Part 1: Korea, Japan

Week 11 Assignment: Ch. 8: The Middle East: Islam, Arab World; Egypt; Palestine, Judaism

Week 12 Midterm Exam

Week 13: No class (Spring Recess)

Week 14 Assignment: Ch. 9: Europe: Greece; Bulgaria; Scotland

Week 15 Assignment: Ch. 10: Sub-Saharan Africa: Ghana; Senegal-Gambia

Week 16 Assignment: Ch. 11 The Caribbean: Cuba, Puerto Rico, The Dominican Republic

Week 17 Assignment: Ch. 11: The Caribbean: Jamaica, Trinidad, Guyana

May 22: Final Paper Due