MUSIC 301

HISTORY OF WOMEN IN MUSIC

SPRING 2009

Instructor:      Dr. Patricia Holland                  Campus phone 346-3119

                        NFAC 308                                email pholland@uwsp.edu

Course Goals:  Music 301 is a course examining music of a specific group of people, that group being defined by gender.  Because of this definition, the course must examine the relationship of gender to music in addition to the role of women in music. As a Women's Studies course, we will seek to improve understanding of women's lives through expanding the available research methodologies, making explicit the effects of gender and other bias on musical endeavors, and reframing women as subjects rather than objects of study and as central rather than peripheral to our understanding of the human condition.  Students will become familiar with various issues concerning women in music: how women became composers, and the historical events and social conditions which impacted on their music; performance by women, and other topics.  This is also a Writing Emphasis course, so another goal will be for students to hone their writing skills and increase their familiarity with music research procedures.

Required         Jezic, Diane Peacock.  Women Composers: The Lost Tradition Found. 

Texts:              New York: The Feminist Press, 1994. 

                        Neuls-Bates, Carol, ed.  Women in Music: An Anthology of Source Readings from the Middle Ages to the Present.                          Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1996.

On Reserve:   Bowers, Jane and                    Women Making Music:

ML 82                Judith Tick, editors                  The Western Art Tradition

.W67

1986

ML 82              McClary, Susan                        Feminine Endings

.M38

1991

Recordings to Women Composers: The Lost Tradition Found

Course Websites: There are two important websites for this course.  One is on UWSP’s web, and contains outlines of information about various topics related to the class.  This URL is http://www.uwsp.edu/music/pholland/301/index.htm  The other important site is Desire2Learn, a web-based system for online discussions, quizzes and other coursework.  This URL is http://uwsp.courses.wisconsin.edu/. 

Online Activities:  The online activities will take place largely within the Desire2Learn (“D2L”) web-based environment.  Students will receive information on how to use D2L as well as specific online assignments.  A rubric for evaluation of online assignments is linked to this syllabus.  There will also be online quizzes on course material.

Attendance:   Your on-time attendance at every class session is expected.  Your classmates are distracted by late arrivals, and so am I. Your grade will be reduced for frequent absence or lateness. Make-up exams or quizzes will NOT be offered without a written excuse from a physician.

Writing Emphasis: This is a writing emphasis course.  The writing emphasis component of the class will involve several short writing exercises and discussions as well as a larger paper.  There will be two interim assignments specifically preparing students to write the paper.  ALL WRITING EMPHASIS ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE COMPLETED IN ORDER TO RECEIVE A GRADE.  Failure to complete writing emphasis assignments will result in a grade of "incomplete."

Papers:           All students will be assigned to write a research paper.  A rubric for evaluation of research papers is linked to this syllabus.  You will be asked to submit your paper to TURNITIN, a plagiarism deterrence website.  Your paper will not be read until it has been logged at TURNITIN.

Listening:       There are two CDs on reserve at the main circulation desk in the LRC.  These contain the recordings listed in the Listening List contained in this syllabus.  There will be two listening quizzes during which you will be asked to identify selections from these recordings. 

Grades:           Your final grade will be derived from a number of evaluative opportunities worth varying numbers of points. The points available and translation to letter grades are listed below.

                        Online Quizzes (3 @ 25 points each)              75

                        Listening Quizzes (2 @ 20 points each)          40      

                        Online Writing Assignments                             100

                        Bibliography                                                     10

                        Outline                                                             15

                        Paper                                                               80

                        Final Exam                                                       80

                        Total possible points                                        400

                        Grade translations (minimum points for each letter grade):

                        A (93%)           372      A- (90%)          360                 

                        B+ (87%)         348      B (83%)           332      B- (80%)          320     

                        C+ (77%)         308      C (73%)           292      C- (70%)          280                 

                        D+ (66%)         264      D (60%)           240                                         

                        F                      less than 240              

            Late assignments will be graded on their merit; then the points will be reduced by one (1) for each day the assignment is late.  Points for late research papers will be reduced by four (4) points per day. The final grade may be reduced in the event of more than two unexcused events of absence and/or tardiness.  A grade of "incomplete" will be reported if all writing emphasis assignments are not completed.