Prerequisites: NONE
For Students following the 2006-07 catalog or later (only), this 3-credit course may fulfill the General Education Program requirement for "Cultural and Historical Foundations" (Item #2). Consult your major requirements and with your advisor.
Textbook and Materials (Required; used copies of the specified edition are acceptable):
Course Objectives: This course is an introduction to the American musical tradition known as "Jazz." Topics for study and discussion will include (1) musical instruments and performance techniques, (2) singing styles and related vocal techniques, (3) genres and forms, and (4) aspects of culture, society, history and geography as they relate to this music as practiced primarily in the United States since about 1900 In addition to learning about this music and the people who made and used it, you will also (1) improve your critical listening skills, (2) acquire a basic vocabulary for describing music, and (3) develop your communication skills by writing about music.
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:
Class Announcements: At the beginning of every class meeting, I will normally make brief announcements and reminders of important information related to MUL 2016. You are responsible for this information, whether you are present or not at that time. Be prompt to class.
Email: I will regularly send you brief messages with important information related to MUL 2016, possibly including attachments in WORD format. These messages will always have a header that includes the course number "MUL 2016." It is your responsibility to have a working email account, to inform me of your account address (and any changes to it), and to check your account at least twice every week for any messages that I may send. Feel free to send questions or notify me of problems at any time via email, but remember that you must include the course number in the header and you must identify yourself by your full name in the message. Unmarked or unsigned messages may be ignored, otherwise I will generally respond within 24 hours.
Course Web Pages: A set of web pages for this course has been established at: http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~swarfiel/MUL2016/2016home.html. All course information will be posted there, including copies of the syllabus, schedule, instructions for all assignments, review materials and links to other useful information. When in doubt about any assignment, refer to the web pages. These pages are updated regularly, and I may inform you (via email) of significant changes to these pages.
Office Hours & Out of Class: "Official" office hours will be posted on my door, and I will almost always be available sometime in the afternoon or early evening. I will be glad to speak with you at any time that I am not otherwise occupied, but to ensure that I will be available, set up an appointment (via email, phone message or in class). For emergencies, please call me at my office and leave a message if I am not in, or use email.
Attendance: Regular class attendance is expected of all enrolled students, and you are responsible for all materials covered and all announcements made in every class, whether you are present or not. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class on a sign-in sheet. Proportional credit may be granted to late arrivals, e.g., 30 minutes late = ½ absence. Habitual tardies may be combined and converted into absences. For the entire semester you will be allowed 6 (six) absences with no explanation to me required. Once you have exceeded six absences, your grade may be penalized at a rate of ½ grade for each additional absence, i.e., a 7th absence will drop an A to an A-, the 8th will drop it to a B+, etc. NB. Your six "free" absences cover all instances of non-attendance, including official UCF events, religious holidays, illness and other emergencies; so do not waste your absences early in the semester.
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 some 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 |
|---|---|
| Quiz on Elements of Music | 5% |
| Test # 1 | 20% |
| Test # 2 | 20% |
| Final Examination (cumulative) | 25% |
| Listening Quizzes | 20% |
| Listening Journal | 10% |
The Quiz on the Elements of Music, the two Tests, and the 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.
The Listening quizzes will be based on your assigned course listenings or recordings or similar works. The final exam will include listening.
The Listening Journal will be a record of your listening assignments during the semester, and it will also serve as your personal study aid in preparation for all tests and the listening quizzes.
The following numeric equivalents apply to all grades (individual assignments & final course grade):
| 100.00 - 92.00 | = A |
| 91.99 - 90.00 | = A- |
| 89.99 - 88.00 | = B+ |
| 87.99 - 82.00 | = B |
| 81.99 - 80.00 | = B- |
| 79.99 - 78.00 | = C+ |
| 77.99 - 72.00 | = C |
| 71.99 - 70.00 | = C- |
| 69.99 - 68.00 | = D+ |
| 67.99 - 62.00 | = D |
| 61.99 - 60.00 | = D- |
| 59.99 - 0.00 | = F |
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.
Due dates for all tests and graded assignments will be announced at least one week in advance.
The Final Examination for MUL 2016 is scheduled at: Friday, 8 December 2006, 1:00 pm - 3:50 pm
Reserve Materials: As the semester progresses both optional and required supplementary items will 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 generally follow the textbook (Martin/Waters) and recordings, although not necessarily in 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 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 recorded items. In addition, sometime shortly after each chapter (or subsection) is covered in class, you will receive Listening Journal Assignments, which you should complete as soon as possible.
Additionally, Review Sheets will be posted on the course web site. These items 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, use cell phones or other electronic devices (turn off such items before entering my classroom), or work on anything unrelated to MUL 2016 (assignments for other courses, newspapers, puzzles, etc.) during the 50 minutes of class time. Individuals engaged in such activities will be asked once to cease. The second time they will be told to leave the classroom, and they will be marked absent for that day.
In preparing for each class meeting you should allot a minimum of 2.5 hours (= 7.5 or more hours total per week). 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. (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. 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).
ACCOMMODATIONS 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.