Prerequisite: MUT 1122 (second semester of Music Theoery, with a grade of "C" or better)
Strongly Recommended: MUL 2014, "Introduction to Music History and Literature" (will be a pre-requisite beginning 2011)
Textbook and Materials (Required; used copies of the specified editions only are acceptable):
Course Objectives: This course is an introduction to the history of art music in Western Europe from Antiquity to about 1750. Topics for study and discussion include:
Communication: It is your obligation to read, follow and complete all assignments and other instructions (verbal or written) given to you in the course of this semester. You are responsible for any information or instructions given out in any of the following ways:
Attendance: Regular class attendance is expected of all enrolled students, and attendance will count for 10% of your grade in this course in the following manner:
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class on a sign-in sheet. Habitual tardies will be counted as partial absences.
Anyone who signs the attendance sheet and then leaves the classroom before the conclusion of class will be counted absent for the entire period. If you must leave the room a few minutes early for a legitimate reason, inform me before class begins, preferably in writing (email works best).
NB. Anyone not in the classroom will be counted as absent, regardless of the reason, e.g., illness, car trouble, work-related issues, child-care or other family problems, court appearances, etc. The only exceptions to this rule are: (1) participation in a UCF-sanctioned event, (2) personal observance of a recognized religious holiday, or (3) extended illnesses or injuries documented by a physician (NB. single-day absences will not be excused, even with a physician's note). In such cases, you must inform me in advance of the day of your absence, and if you fail to do so, you will be counted as absent for that day.
NB. Because attendance is part of your grade, any attempts to misrepresent either your own attendance or that of anyone else on the sign-in sheet or in any other fashion will be considered acts of academic dishonesty, i.e., cheating, and dealt with accordingly.
Attendance Policy for Tests: No unexcused absence from an announced test or quiz will ever be allowed. Failure to appear at an announced test/quiz will result in a grade of "0" (zero) for that test. Late arrivals at announced tests will not be given any additional time to complete the test, nor will instructions or audio portions of the test be repeated.
Make-up Policy: Should you be unable to attend an announced test due to participation in an officially sanctioned UCF event or personal observance of a religious holiday, you must notify me at least one week in advance of that test to schedule an alternate time. For personal or family emergencies (e.g., funerals), you must notify me as early as possible. At a minimum, send an email message as soon as possible to inform me of your situation. In all cases, I will require documented proof of the reason for your absence. You may then be allowed to take a make-up test no later than 48 hours after the scheduled test or your return to campus. Make-up tests may be different from announced tests to ensure the integrity of the testing process.
Testing and Grading: Your grade in this course will be determined by your performance in the following:
| Assignment / Test | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Two Multi-chapter Tests (12.5% each) | 25% |
| Final Examination (cumulative) | 20% |
| Three (3) Listening Quizzes (6.667% each) | 20% |
| (Group) Chant Transcription Project | 10% |
| (Group) Article Report | 15% |
| Attendance | 10% |
The two Tests, three Listening Quizzes and Final Exam will be in-class tests in which you will demonstrate your mastery of the course materials. None of these exercises will use true/false or matching questions. Instead, each test will include primarily “brief answer” questions, followed by a variety of essay questions and score identification/description. The Listening quizzes will be based on your assigned course listenings or recordings of similar works. The final exam may include listening.
The (Group) Chant Transcription Project will involve the transcription of a medieval chant into modern notation and a brief commentary on it.
The (Group) Article Report will be a written summary and commentary on an article from a professional or scholarly music journal that deals with some aspect of early music.
The following numeric equivalents apply to all grades (individual assignments & final course grade):
| 100.00 - 92.00 | = A | Clearly Exceptional Work, Assignments meet and often exceed all stated requirements, Strong writing that contains very few, minor errors, Work submitted on or ahead of time. |
| 91.99 - 90.00 | = A- | |
| 89.99 - 88.00 | = B+ | Clearly Superior Work, Assignments generally meet all stated requirements, Writing that contains minor errors that do not impede understanding, Work usually submitted on time. |
| 87.99 - 82.00 | = B | |
| 81.99 - 80.00 | = B- | |
| 79.99 - 78.00 | = C+ | Completely Satisfactory Work, Assignments meet most stated requirements, Writing contains more obvious errors that begin to impede understanding, Work not always submitted on time. |
| 77.99 - 72.00 | = C | |
| 71.99 - 70.00 | = C- | While still marginally satisfactory, work in this category falls below acceptable standards for the music major. |
| 69.99 - 68.00 | = D+ | Generally Unsatisfactory Work, Assignments frequently do not meet stated requirements, Writing contains errors that significantly impede understanding, Work rarely submitted on time. |
| 67.99 - 62.00 | = D | |
| 61.99 - 60.00 | = D- | |
| 59.99 - 0.00 | = F | Unsatisfactory Work, Assignments do not meet most stated requirements, Writing contains excessive errors, lacks organization and/or approaches incoherence, Work not submitted or frequently late. |
Questions about the grading or evaluation of any test or other assignment must be raised at the time that item is returned to you. You may not argue for points based on your perception of the grading of a question vis-à-vis another student’s work. Only obvious clerical errors on my part will be corrected.
Items turned in late will be assessed a 10-point penalty for every 24 hours or fraction of a day that they are late. This penalty may be waived or lessened at my discretion, provided I am informed at least 24 hours in advance when you will not meet a deadline.
Final course averages are calculated to the nearest 1/100 of a point. In the case of a borderline final average, I reserve the right to award the next highest grade, based on class participation, preparation, attendance, and related factors.
No extra credit work or alternate assignments will be accepted in lieu of or in addition to the assignments and tests listed on this syllabus.
No papers, tests, or other assignments created for any other course (on this campus or for any other institution) or for any previous section of MUH 3211 may be submitted in this course. Attempts to submit such materials will be considered acts of Academic Dishonesty and treated as such.
Special note on submitting papers and related items for grading: All papers must be submitted for grading as "electronic documents," i.e., as computer files in WORD or a compatible format (generally RTF). No "hard copies" will be accepted unless I have determined that our computers are completely incompatible. You may submit your assignment either by sending me the item as an email attachment or by bringing your item to my office on a jump drive or other form of transportable storage device. Additionally, you are expected to keep multiple copies of your papers and projects on different jump drives (or other devices) so that you may recover lost work as quickly as possible. Anyone claiming "computer failure" as the reason for not being able to submit an assignment will be given 24 hours to produce the most recently saved version of your work from a back-up drive. The inability to produce such an item when requested will result in a grade of "0" for that assignment.
Due dates for all tests and graded assignments will be announced at least one week in advance.
The Final Examination for MUH 3211 is scheduled for the following date:
| Section | Final Exam Time |
|---|---|
| 1 (10:30 – 11:20 MWF) | Monday, 13 December 2010, 10:00 am – 12:50 pm |
Reserve Materials: As the semester progresses both optional and required supplementary items may be placed on reserve for reading or listening. You will be informed in class when such items go on reserve, and the course web page will include a list of all such items used in the term.
Class Procedures and your Responsibilities: This course will follow the textbook (Wright-Simms) and Anthology in roughly chronological order. You will read and listen to the relevant items before they are discussed in class (see the schedule on a separate web page). Even if you do not understand some materials, you should attempt to complete the reading and listening before the scheduled class meeting so that you may ask relevant questions.
You should carry your textbook, anthology, and notebook to all class meetings. You should take notes about any information presented in class, and you should feel free to ask questions at any time if something is not clear to you.
Following the class, you should re-read the relevant passages in the textbook and re-listen to the Anthology examples.
Additionally, a link to the Schirmer Cengage Web site supporting the Wrigth-Simms textbook is posted on the course web site. Review items there will help you to organize your notes and guide your studies.
As a matter of respect to others in the classroom, you are not to engage in conversations unrelated to the current activities of this course, to use cell phones or other electronic communications devices (turn off such items before entering my classroom), or to work on anything unrelated to MUH 3211 (assignments for other courses, newspapers, puzzles, etc.) during the 50 minutes of class time. You will be warned once to cease such activities. The second infraction will result in ejection from the class, and a 3-day absence penalty added to your grade for attendance. (NB. You are to attend the following class meetings. The penalty absences are simply added to your total.)
You are allowed to use computers for note-taking only in this classroom. Anyone using a computer may be asked to show the machine's screen at any time, and if the display is not related to MUH 3211, you will forfeit the machine to me and leave the room immediately. [Confiscated computers may be reclaimed during my announced office hours.] The penalty for the first offense is a 3-day absence penalty added to your attendance grade. There will be no warnings for this infraction, and repeat offenders will be dropped from the course.
In preparing for each class meeting you should allot a minimum of 2.5 hours (= 7.5 or more hours total per week) of outside reading and studying. You may find it useful to form study groups so that you may help one another in your preparations for class and for tests. You are not, however, allowed to collaborate on any graded assignments in this class unless otherwise instructed. (see "Academic Integrity" below)
Academic Integrity: All graded work in this class must be yours alone. You are never to collaborate with anyone on tests or other graded assignments in this class unless otherwise instructed. You are allowed and encouraged to work together with your classmates or any other individuals, e.g., professors, students not enrolled in this class, etc., when you are reading the textbook or other assigned readings, studying for tests, and even in the general research that you do before preparing your various projects, but any graded work that you present as your own may not contain the work or assistance of any other individual. Violators will be referred to the appropriate UCF authorities for prosecution (see the latest edition of The Golden Rule for more details).
Accomodations for Disabilities: Any student with a documented disability may receive a special accommodation to complete any requirements of this course. Any student requesting such an accommodation must contact the Office of Student Disability Services (SRC 132; phone 407-823-2371), where such requests are processed. The SDS will ask for documentation of the disability, and they will then notify the instructor of the appropriate accommodations that may be allowed. NB. You cannot simply tell me of your situation, nor can you make requests after the fact, e.g., after you have taken a test or completed the course.
Tentative Schedule: A tentative listing of all class meetings, topics for discussion, readings, and due dates may be found on the relevant web page for this course.
NB. This syllabus may be revised, if circumstances warrant. You will be notified formally if any changes are made.