COM 559 Current Trends In Mass Communication Research: Music Recording
Spring 2010
T 6:00-8:45 pm
KT G46
Course Description
The purpose of this course is to familiarize the student with various perspectives by 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:
- to define music recording as a creative act and
- 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
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Audio Terms
- Additional readings are links
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Assignments
All assignment must be completed.
- Magazine/web site reports - Each student will present two written reports/reviews: 1) on a magazine (popular or trade) and 2) on a Web site that presents information that pertains to music recording. Analyses include (1) close "textual" analysis and (2) a bibliographic search in order to situate the magazine or website in the research in music recording .
- Research project - Each student will conceptualize, research and write a research project of an appropriate length based on one or more of the research trends examined during the semester..
Grading
Course assignments and examinations
will be weighted as follows:
| Assignment |
| Magazine/web reports | 2 X 200 points = 400 |
| Research Project | 400 points |
| Total | 800 points |
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The final grade will be based on the following scale:
| Points | Grade |
| 800-721points | A |
| 720-661points | B |
| 660-581 points | C |
| 580-501 points | D |
| 500points-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.
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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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Go to Tankel's Current Course Page
URL:http://users.ipfw.edu/tankel/syllabi/Spring 2010/COM 559 Current Trends In Mass Communication Research: Music Recording
Revised: 4 January 2010
