Musicology

MUCO 110: Topics in Musicology for the Non-Major

An exploration of a musicological topic that is more narrowly focused than or lies outside the scope of the Introduction to Music Literature course. May be repeated when topic is different. Does not satisfy course requirements for any music major.

MUCO 120: Introduction to Jazz History

An exploration of the musical development and cultural impact of jazz from its origins to the present for students not majoring in music. Lectures, films, and readings provide historical details. Does not satisfy course requirements for any music major.

MUCO 133: Perspectives on Genius: The life and musical impact of Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven, arguably one of the most famous composers of all time, is a compelling and fascinating figure in classical music. He occupies a central position as the architect of musical Romanticism and his influence continues today. In additions to studying his music from the perspective of his own time, we will discuss his extraordinary creative personality and the reception of his music by subsequent composers and listeners. A number of concerts and outside visits will be organized, and students will be encoursaged to attend relevant performances in London, for which they will be prepared in class. The course will be general in scope, and no prior musical knowledge will be expected. The course does not satisfy requirements for any music major. Not open to students who have received or need to receive credit for MUCO 433.

MUCO 160: Advance of the American Musical

A study of this uniquely American theatrical form as it develops in response to our culture throughout the 20th century and into the 21st. Ability to read music helpful, but not required.

MUCO 191: Directed Study in Musicology

Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work.

MUCO 210: Topics in Musicology for the Non-Major

This course will enable non-music majors to engage with the discipline of music history. May be repeated when topic is different. Does not satisfy course requirements for any music major.

Topic for


Topic for Fall 2021: TOPICS: Popular Music, 1954-1979: The Rise of Rock and Ross
Growing out of the need for the young generation to have a voice separate from the influence of their parents, Rock-and-Roll will be studied from its genesis in the mid-50s, combining influences from R&B, Country, and Pop, through the variety of sub-genres in the 60s to the punk and disco movements in the 70s that attempted to return R/R to its simpler origins and functions. Movers and shakers who shaped the growth and acceptance of R/R as a popular artistic culture as well as the multitude of social, political, and racial challenges that influenced popular music will be the basis of discussions in class.

MUCO 212: Introduction to Musicologies II

This course is the second in a two-term sequence that takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of music, drawing upon fields such as ethnomusicology, music history, popular music studies, sound studies, cultural studies, music hermeneutics, gender studies, critical race theory, post-colonial studies, historiography and performance studies. We will explore musical styles, practices, functions, meanings and values in cross-cultural and transhistorical contexts. We will develop--and think critically about--the power of engaging actively, intensively and creatively with questions, ideas and sources.

MUCO 223: Music & Mystical Experience

What is mystical experience? And how does music evoke, induce, or otherwise bring us into relation with it? These questions motivate a cross-cultural, multi-disciplinary, and diachronic exploration of the ways in which human beings experience the numinous through music. In the spirit of its title, the course also introduces specific contemplative practices in order to cultivate qualities of mind conducive to contemplative engagement with music and sound. Not open to students who have received, or need to receive, credit for MUCO 423.

MUCO 232: Signifying Identity: The Semiotics of Embodying Musical Genre Affiliations

The exploration of how people embody and display their identities as they relate to musical genres. From Doc Martens to zoot suits, body mod to makeup, we will learn about the semiotics of musical genre affiliations, paying attention to how embodied expressions of affiliation intersect with different aspects of identities such as ethnicity, queerness, or race. Class includes discussions, projects, and speakers.

MUCO 391: Directed Study in Musicology

Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work.

MUCO 399: Independent Study in Musicology

Students considering an honors project should register for independent study for one or more terms.

MUCO 421: Music and Gender

In this course we will explore some of the relationships between western musickings and gender identities in specific contexts. We will consider musickings' functions as reflections of, reactions to, and active participants in gender construction, experience, and expression. We will examine musicking as a normative force and as a space for being and making in defiance of or complex interaction with hegemonic control. We will explore ambiguities and possibilities of queer musicology, virtualities, and intersectionalities.

MUCO 423: Music and Mystical Experience

What is mystical experience? And how does music evoke, induce, or otherwise bring us into relation with it? These questions motivate a cross-cultural, multi-disciplinary, and diachronic exploration of the ways in which human beings experience the numinous through music. Readings from contemporary and historical sources in eastern and western philosophy, psychology, and the history and theory of music provide intellectual and aesthetic contexts in which to engage with a variety of musical practices and traditions. In the spirit of its title, the course also requires a commitment to specific contemplative practices—not bound to any particular belief system—that are introduced in an effort to cultivate qualities of mind conducive to contemplative engagement with a work of music or the experience of sound. Not open to students who have received credit, or need to receive credit, for MUCO 223.

MUCO 433: Perspectives on Genius: The life and musical impact of Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven, arguably one of the most famous composers of all time, is a compelling and fascinating figure in classical music. He occupies a central position as the architect of musical Romanticism and his influence continues today. In additions to studying his music from the perspective of his own time, we will discuss his extraordinary creative personality and the reception of his music by subsequent composers and listeners. A number of concerts and outside visits will be organized, and students will be encoursaged to attend relevant performances in London, for which they will be prepared in class. This course is a seminar involving independent research. Not open to students who have received credit for MUCO 133.

MUCO 440: Topics in Musicology: Life and Works

A study of a composer’s career, emphasizing the relationship between composer and society. Topics in this series vary from year to year. May be repeated when topic is different.

MUCO 450: Topics in Musicology: Genre History

An examination of the historical development of a single genre, stressing the effects of societal changes. Topics in this series vary from year to year. May be repeated when topic is different.

Topic for
In this course,

Topic for Fall 2021: Lied & German National Identity
In this course, we will examine Lieder from the 18th to the 20th centuries from a sociocultural perspective to explore the multiple ways that the genre, poetry, music, performance, critical discourse, and more, is bound up with German national identity. While this seems to suggest a narrow focus, we will be challenged to think big about intersections between politics, nationalism, identity, community, musickings, and the scholarly disciplines and canons that form around music.

MUCO 452: History of the Wind Band

This course will be an examination of the history and development of the wind band as an artistic medium, focusing on repertoire and instrumentation development and cultural influences. The growth of the modern concert wind ensemble will be studied as a part of the evolution beginning with Gabrieli and proceeding through classical, romantic, and contemporary musical trends.

MUCO 455: Jazz History

A study of the contributions of select jazz artists through analysis of recordings, historical films, solo transcriptions, scores, and readings from texts.

MUCO 470: Topics in Ethnomusicology - Regions

An examination of music of a particular geographic region or diasporic group. Topics and prerequisites may vary from year to year. May be repeated when topic is different.

Topic for Fall 2021: Music of the Middle East
This course will introduce the main aspects of Arab, Turkish, and Persian art, folk, and popular music. Students will become familiar with Middle Eastern tuning systems, rhythmic patterns, formal structures, and performance practices. We will also look at the role of music in society in these regions as well as among diasporic populations, and explore connections of music to other areas of social, religious, and political life.

MUCO 490: Topics in Ethnomusicology - Issues

An examination of a particular issue in ethnomusicological study. Topics and prerequisites may vary from year to year. May be repeated for credit when topic is different.

MUCO 493: Music and Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective

This course examines the relationship between the constructions of gender identities and music performance and practice, and looks at history and development of approaches, theories, and studies regarding this relationship. Each week contains theoretical readings from gender studies, women’s studies, or feminist scholarship as well as ethnomusicological case studies from a variety of locations around the world.

MUCO 495: Methods, Theories, and Debates in Ethnomusicology

This course will cover the history of the field of ethnomusicology, key debates, influential scholars, and significant case studies. Important concepts will include fieldwork methods, organology (the study of musical instruments), tuning systems, transcription, and issues in applied ethnomusicology. This course will be particularly helpful to students considering graduate work in ethnomusicology.

MUCO 591: Directed Study in Musicology

Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work.

MUCO 599: Independent Study in Musicology

Advanced study culminating in an independent project, to be completed in consultation with a member of the musicology faculty. Students must have fulfilled all required musicology coursework for the degree and major before undertaking an independent study. Students considering an independent study should consult in advance (preferably during spring registration) with the member of the department with whom they wish to work.

MUCO 691: Directed Study in Musicology

Directed study follows a syllabus set primarily by the instructor to meet the needs or interests of an individual student or small group of students. The main goal of directed study is knowledge or skill acquisition, not research or creative work.