OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this project is to allow you to demonstrate your ability to investigate on your own some topic in the history of music in the 19th Century. Note especially that this project is not a piece of “original” research; rather, it is more of an investigation into the current “state of knowledge” about your chosen topic, wtih some additional commentary by you.
GENERAL METHOD: In broad outline, you will:
LIMITS: Your topic must deal with some aspect of Western art music in the era from about 1789 up to 1914. It may be concerned with any subject ranging from a single major work by one composer up to a related group of pieces by various composers; with individual performers or a group of related performers; with issues of performance practice, instrumental technique, orchestration, and the like; with social and cultural issues; or any other issue or topic that can be dealt with in a paper of the prescribed length. You may not choose any composer or topic that would relate more properly to an earlier era, e.g., the performance of Early Music, except as it reveals 19th-century attitudes, beliefs and practices. You may not choose any topics in purely popular or vernacular music, except as they relate to art music. Finally, you many not simply choose the biography or a composer, performer or other person, and you may not choose just the history of an instrument.
PROPOSAL AND APPROVAL OF THE TOPIC: Your topic must be approved by me, and you may therefore want to communicate with me before you prepare your proposal. The proposal will specify (1) what you intend to study, (2) how you intend to limit your topic, and (3) any questions you hope to answer in your paper. The typed proposal should be at least a half page in length, but no more than a full page. The proposal is due by 5:00 pm on Friday, 5 February 2011 and counts for 5% of the project grade. Any proposal that does not show genuine effort toward defining a suitable topic will be returned for revision and the grade reduced by 50% per day, i.e., you have two days in which to resubmit an acceptable proposal before losing all points for the proposal. If you fail to submit a satisfactory proposal within those two days (by 5:00 pm on 7 Feb 11), similar reductions will continue against the rest of the project’s value. Grading of the proposal will be based primarily on the coherence and viability of the proposal as a research topic, i.e., how well have you defined the parameters of what you intend to investigate and how feasible is that topic for an advanced undergraduate- or graduate-level paper in the time allotted.
RESEARCH & BIBLIOGRAPHY: Once your topic has been approved, you should begin to assemble a suitable bibliography on that topic, using the skills, techniques, and resources mastered in MUH 3211-3212 or MUH 6916. Remember to expand your search to the items beyond those on hand at UCF, but do be aware of the time limitations for acquiring ILL items.
As a record of your research and a way for me to suggest additional items, (1) you should keep a journal of your research work, and (2) you must prepare a bibliography accompanied by a descriptive essay of the items found. Use the journal to keep track of your work, noting such things as the various bibliographic searches that you make. Journal entries might list the specific terms that you searched, how you searched (e.g., subject, title, author, keyword, etc.), and where (which collections and databases) you searched. Be sure also to include unsuccessful searches, in order to save yourself the trouble of retracing your steps later.
Your Bibliography will be an alphabetical list of at least fifteen (15) quality items that relate to your topic. Each item must be listed in a proper bibliographic format (author, title, publication information, etc.), using a style of citation consistent with "Chicago/Turabian" annotations. In addition to the bibliographic entries, you must include a modest essay (roughly 500-750 words) that describes the items found so far, etc. and explains their value to your topic.
Finally, you are not required to use all of these bibliography items in your paper, and you may later decide to add more items to your bibliography and to drop others from it. The purpose of this stage of the research is to demonstrate that you have begun to accumulate and evaluate the literature on your subject.
The annotated bibliography is due by 5:00 pm on Sunday, 28 February 2011. The bibliography counts for 25% of the project grade. Again, your bibliography must include at least fifteen (15) relevant items. Grading of the bibliography will be split 25/25/50 between (1) the correctness of the citations themselves, i.e., proper bibliographic format, spelling, punctuation, etc., (2) the quality and relevance of the items found, and your essay explaining why these particular items are included in the bibliography.
OUTLINE OF THE PAPER: A copy of your proposed outline for the paper is due by 5:00 pm on Friday, 26 March 2011. Any outline that does not go beyond the first level of subdivision (I.A.) will receive a maximum grade of "65". (mid "D") A better outline will include significant (Arabic Numerals: 1, 2, 3) and even minor (Arabic Lower case: a, b, c) subdivisions as necessary. The outline counts for 20% of the project grade.
THE FINAL DOCUMENT: (1) This paper must be typed or computer-printed as if on 8-½” x 11” white paper, with 1” margins on all sides, except for the first page of text, which has a 2” top margin. (2) Use a 12-point typeface, type in double-space, and indent all paragraphs. (3) The absolute minimum length of the paper, not including the title page, bibliography and notes (either as footnotes or end notes), is 1,500 words (about 6-8 pages) for Undergraduates [MUH 4361] and 2,000 words (about 8-10 pages) for graduate students [MUH 5365]. You may write more with no concern for penalties. (“Word Count” under “Tools” in most word-processor programs gives this information, if you are not certain of the length of your paper.) (4) You must footnote all direct citations, paraphrases and other appropriations of ideas from your sources. Inline citations are not acceptable andwill be downgraded. (5) Append a final bibliography of the items actually used (and which may differ from the earlier annotated bibliography) after the last page of text, and give the whole document a title page that includes your name, title of your paper/topic, my name, course number & title, and date.
The final paper is due electronically as an attachment an email sent to me by 5:00 pm on Monday, 26 April 2011. The final paper itself counts for 50% of the project grade, with the value split equally between writing and content.
Electronic submission of all parts of this assignment--proposal, bibliography, outline, or paper--by means of email attachment is expected.
Undergraduates [MUH 4361] are reminded that this entire project counts for 20% of your course grade.
Graduate Students [MUH 5365] are reminded that this entire project counts for 30% of your course grade.