Seminar in Ethnic Music: Middle East – ETHM 545
CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 02/22/2022
Course Description
Concentrated study of a selected ethnic music culture. In scheduling each seminar, consideration will be given to student interest and the availability of appropriate guest musicians.
For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.
Rationale
The Seminar(s) in Ethnic Music are intended to provide the student with a more culture specific study than other general ethnomusicology courses. Special attention is given to the contrast between the context, use, and function of music within that culture as a means of identifying cultural insight for the use of indigenous music in worship, discipleship, and evangelism.
Course Assignment
Textbook readings and lecture presentations
Course Requirements Checklist
After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.
Discussions (7)
Discussions are opportunities to have conversations with your peers online. Imagine them as conversations with other learners – asking questions, providing alternative perspectives, giving support, wondering out loud, etc. Unless otherwise noted, each discussion should include at least two to three original threads (of roughly 300 words) and at least two to three responses to posts of your peers (of roughly 150 words), for a total number of posts no less than five. Post the original threads by Thursday, in order to allow time for your peers to read them and respond. The final day for posting replies is Sunday at midnight.
Worksheet Assignment
Reading Guide for Habib, Music of the Arabs.
Essay Assignments (4)
Essays should be written as Word document of approximately 1,000 excluding title page and bibliography, and double-spaced. Use correct, consistent citations, following the Turabian format in an academic, formal style.
Voice of Egypt (Module 3), Tarab (Module 4), Comparing Musical Encounters (Module 6), Fringe and Border Crossings (Module 7)
Final Essay Assignment
Based on the question or questions that have arisen for you in this course, choose a topic to explore in greater depth. The topic should be one on which you can make an argument or provide a supportable perspective. That is, it should be an argumentative or persuasive essay rather than a descriptive essay.
Be sure your topic is narrow enough to make an argument or persuasion with support from sources and examples. Utilize a minimum of eight sources, from a variety of ethnomusicological or musicological sources. Your paper, in 12-point font with 1 inch margins, should include an introduction of 1-2 pages where you present your thesis and tell the reader what you will be arguing for, a main body of 8-10 pages, and a conclusion of 1-2 pages. In all the essay will be around 12 pages, which is the approximate length of a conference presentation paper. Consider a conference presentation and audience as the context in which you will be writing this essay.
