Course Description
The subject of this special topics course is "The Music Recording Industry." The purpose of this course is to familiarize the student with various ways in which scholars have viewed the process of music recording. The recording process is not viewed as simply a matter of storing sonic information, but a distinct act with its own aesthetic, creative, economic, social and political/ideological imperatives. In addition, the the music recoding industry is a volatile site in the development of music as cultural practice.
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Course Objectives
Therefore, students in this course will read and discuss scholarly and popular works that will allow students:

1. to define music recording as a creative act and
2. to articulate music recording as cultural practice.

Texts

• Evan Eisenberg The Recording Angel: Music, Records and Culture from Aristotle to Zappa, Second Edition
  
• Andre Millard, America on Record: A History of Recorded Sound, 2nd Edition
• Michael Chanan, Repeated Takes: A Short History of Recording and Its Effects on Music
• Jonathan Sterne, The Audible Past: Cultural Origins of Sound Reproduction
  Required Only For Graduate Students
• Media Communication Terms
• Additional readings as listed.

Assignments
All assignment must be completed.

1. Group Project - Each group will prepare a website or PowerPoint presentation devoted to a topic appropriate to the course.
2. Graduate Student Essay: Graduate students will read Jonathan Sterne's The Audible Past and respond to his approach with reference to a different type of sound reproduction.
3. Magazine/web site report - Each undergraduate student will present two written reports: 1) on a magazine (popular or trade) and 2) on a Web site that presents information that pertains to the music recording industry.
4. Research project - Each student will conceptualize, research and write a research project of an appropriate length.

Grading
Course assignments and examinations will be weighted as follows:

Assignment	Graduate	Undergraduate
Group Project	300 points	300 points
Class Discussion	Not Applicable	100 points
Magazine/web reports	Not Applicable	2 X 100 = 200 points
Graduate Student Essay	200 points	Not Applicable
Research Project	500 points	400 points
Total	1000 points

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The final grade will be based on the following scale:

Points	Grade
1000-895 points	A
894-800 points	B
799-700 points	C
699-600 points	D
599 points-below	F

Course Policies
1. You are expected to attend class.
2. All assignments must be turned in. Failure to turn in an assigment will result in a grade of "F" for the course.
3. No late assignments will be accepted. Due dates are stated in the syllabus.
4. No handwritten assignments will be accepted.

Campus Services

• In making the transition from novice to experienced college student, the Center for Academic Support and Advancement (CASA) an make the critical difference. CASA offers study-skills assistance, free tutoring, supplemental instruction, and free computer-technology courses (STEPs). The center is also the advising unit for students studying English as a Second Language.



• Services for Students with Disabilities(SSD): If you have a disability and need assistance, special arrangements can be made to accommodate most needs. Contact the Director of Services for Students with Disabilities (Walb 113, 481-6658) as soon as possible to work out the details. Once the Director has provided you with a letter attesting to your needs for modification, bring the letter to me. For more information please visit the web site for SSD at http://www.ipfw.edu/ssd/



• For questions about how the University experience will enhance your life and potential career, please contact Academic Counseling and Career Services.



• For help with writing, please contact the Writing Center. In free one-on-one conferences, knowledgeable writing consultants will talk with you about your writing for any class, wherever you are in the writing process — understanding assignments, brainstorming and planning, revising, and polishing final drafts. Consultants help you focus, organize, develop and analyze your thoughts, revise, and work on issues of editing and style. (Consultants will not edit or proofread for you but will help you learn how to edit and proofread your own papers).

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URL:http://users.ipfw.edu/tankel/syllabi/Spring 2007/COM 491-531 The Music Recording Industry.html
Revised: 4 January 2007