Use to propose new general education courses (except writing courses), to change existing gen ed courses and to remove designations for existing gen ed courses.
Note: One-time-only general education designation may be requested for experimental courses (X91-previously X95), granted only for the semester taught. A NEW request must be submitted for the course to receive subsequent general education status.
Group
(submit separate forms if requesting more than one general education group designation) / III. Language / VII: Social Sciences
III Exception: Symbolic Systems * / VIII: Ethics Human Values
X / IV: Expressive Arts / IX: American European
V: Literary Artistic Studies / X: Indigenous Global
VI: Historical Cultural Studies / XI: Natural Sciences
w/ lab w/out lab
*Courses proposed for this designation must be standing requirements of majors that qualify for exceptions to the modern and classical language requirement
Dept/Program / Music / Course # / 304A
Course Title / Sound in the Natural World
Prerequisite / N/A / Credits / 3
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Please type / print name / Signature / Date
Instructor / Lee Heuermann
Phone / Email /
Program Chair / Maxine Ramey
Dean / Stephen Kalm
III. Type of request
New / X / One-time Only / Change / Remove
Reason for Gen Ed inclusion, change or deletion / New course
Description of change / Designation as expressive arts course
IV. Description and purpose of new general education course: General Education courses must be introductory and foundational within the offering department or within the General Education Group. They mustemphasize breadth, context, and connectedness; and relate course content to students’ future lives: See Preamble:
MUSI 304A - Sound in the Natural World provides the student the opportunity to acquire foundational skills in music composition and performance in a group setting, and to engage in the creative process. This is a “learning by doing” course and requires students to think critically, problem-solve, and to work in a collaborative setting. The course guides the student in an exploration of their own creative process in relation to sound in the natural environment, and through introductions to the music of a variety of indigenous cultures, as well as that of contemporary composers. Through studying specific cultures that demonstrate a wide variety of possible ways to relate to sound, the student will develop a more holistic and unique approach to their own music composition and develop a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of music and nature. Students will learn how to listen in the field and collect materials from which they will create their own instruments. They will learn how to design a musical score, and will learn the art of collaboration during performance in small ensembles. The instructor will model ongoing critical assessment during the creative process and after the final performances students will critique each other’s work. This in-depth exploration will provide the student with techniques for creative expression that can last throughout their lives.
V. Criteria: Briefly explain how this course meets the criteria for the group. See:
Expressive Arts courses are activity-based and emphasize the value of learning bydoing in an artistic context. / MUSI 304A - Sound in the Natural World is a “learning by doing” and activity-based course. Class outcomes will include learning how to listen in the field, collecting natural materials and making instruments, and working collaboratively to create compositions and a visual score/diagram. This final project will culminate in a performance, and feedback session.
Criteria
Courses guide students, whether in individual or group settings, to acquire foundational skills to engage in the creative process and/or in interpretive performance. Through direct experience (for example, attendance and involvement with live performance, exhibitions, workshops, and readings), they will engage in critical assessment of their own work and the work of others. / Learning Goals
Upon completion of this perspective students will be able to:
- 1. express themselves in the making of an original work or creative performance;
- 2. understand the genres and/or forms that have shaped the medium; and
- 3. critique the quality of their own work and that of others.
/ CRITERIA
MUSI 304A - Sound in the Natural World is a foundational course in music composition and performance in a group setting, in which the instructor guides students through the creative process. Through reading, listening, and exercises in creative expression, the student will study a number of musical styles and genres from a global and humanitarian perspective. Students will learn how to listen both inwardly and outwardly to spark ideas in order to create an original musical composition. They will develop a visual representation (musical score) of their work, and students will learn about interpretation through performing each other’s compositions. Through reading, listening, and discussions students will develop critical thinking and problem solving skills in relation to the creative process. In addition, students will learn how to evaluate their own work through critical assessment in relationship to the cultures and composers studied, as well as to the work of their fellow classmates.
VI. Student Learning Goals: Briefly explain how this course will meet the applicable learning goals. See:
Express themselves in the making of an original work or creative performance. / MUSI 304A is a course that emphasizes learning-by-doing in relation to creating music compositions from materials found in the natural environment. The student’s work will be informed by their natural surroundings. Students will collaborate in small groups to develop original work and to perform it.
Understand the genres and/or forms that have shaped the medium. / Students will research a variety of cultures whose creative aesthetic is informed by their natural environment, and will additionally explore contemporary composers working in a similar medium. Students will have the opportunity to formulate and develop their ideas on creative expression through writing assignments as well as discussion.
Critique the quality of their own work and that of others. / After students perform their compositions, they will critique the quality of their own work as well as that of their peers. Additionally, there will be on-going critique of the creative process as the work is evolving. This is a process based course as well as outcome oriented. One of the primary learning outcomes is for students to become familiar with their own creative process.
VII. Justification: Normally, general education courses will not carry pre-requisites, will carry at least 3 credits, and will be numbered at the 100-200 level.If the course has more than one pre-requisite, carries fewer than three credits, or is upper division (numbered above the 200 level), provide rationale for exception(s).
The Wilderness and Civilization program is an academic minor that is offered only as an immersion program. Students participate in this program as a cohort, taking 17.0 credits during the fall semester and 7.0 credits in the spring. Because these students take nearly a year “off” of their degree program, typically during their junior years, they often struggle to graduate in only four years. Furthermore, many of the Wilderness and Civilization students are majors in the College of Forestry and Conservation and in the sciences, where students are required to take many foundational science courses during their freshman and sophomore years and thus have less room in their schedules for 100- and 200-level general education courses. Enabling these students to complete some general education requirements as part of the Wilderness and Civilization program, in those cases wherecontent merits a general education designation, allows them to venture beyond their major field of study and engage in the interdisciplinary, integrated, campus and field-based curriculum that is Wilderness and Civilizationand still graduate in four years.
MUSI 304 is foundational in the area of music. Most Wilderness and Civilization students have not had previous coursework in music and thus basic knowledge of and skills in composition will be a part of this course. Because the course is foundational in the area of music we are suggesting that it be designated as an expressive arts course.
However, the topic of sound in the natural world is advanced in the area of wilderness and conservation. Students in this course will apply complex, sophisticated analysis and critical thinking skills as they develop compositions that express and reflect the human-nature relationship. Because the creative and analytic skills required to develop musical content for the course are advanced, we are suggested that this course be offered as a 300-level course.
MUSI 304 will be taught even-numbered years, alternating with ART 324A which will be taught odd-numbered years. ART 324A was approved as an expressive arts course in fall 2009.
Please feel free to contact Laurie Yung, Director of the Wilderness Institute, if you have any questions about requirements for the Wilderness and Civilization program (ext. 6934, ).
Thank you again for considering this request.
VIII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form. The syllabus should clearly describe how the above criteria are satisfied. For assistance on syllabus preparation see:
MUSI 304A – SOUND IN THE NATURAL WORLD – CRN: – 3 credits
Winter 2012
Mon-Fri – 9:00-12:00 a.m., Davidson’s Honors College (DHC) Room 119
January 9-20
Instructor: Dr. Lee HeuermannE-mail:
Office: Room 204 C Music Bldg.Office Hours: Th. 1-2, or by appt.
Texts: Sound and Sentiment: Birds, Weeping, Poetics, and Song in Kaluli Expression, by Steven Feld;The Soul of Mbira: Music and Traditions of the Shona People of Zimbabwe,
by Paul F. Berliner;The World We Used To Live In: Remembering the Powers of the Medicine Men, by Vine Deloria, Jr.available at the U of M. Bookstore (all to be read prior to the beginning of class Winter Session 2012)
Sound and Sentiment: Birds, Weeping, Poetics, and Song in Kaluli Expression, by anthropologist and jazz musician Steven Feld, is an ethnography of sound exploring the aesthetic ideology of the Kaluli of the Papua New Guinea rainforest. For the Kaluli, forest noises have a large impact and influence upon creative soundmaking, and Feld demonstrates how for the Kaluli, social life and communication are fully integrated with their ecology.
The Soul of Mbira: Music and Traditions of the Shona People of Zimbabwe, is by
ethnomusicologist Paul F. Berliner. This book is a comprehensive portrayal of the Shona and their virtuosic Mbira tradition, and explores the mystical relationship between the player and his/her instrument.
The World We Used To Live In: Remembering the Powers of the Medicine Men, is by Native American scholar Vine Deloria, Jr., and is a collection of anecdotes from numerous tribes exploring the spiritual power of medicine men/women and their healing connection to dreams and their natural environment.
Required Reading and Listening: Weekly readings and listening will be posted on Blackboard and/or will be placed on Reserve/Electronic Reserve in the Mansfield Library.
Description: Sound in the Natural World is a music composition and performance course that is an exploration of the concept that art (music/sound) encompasses an acceptance of wilderness, both in the outside world and within oneself. The class will explore the artistic connections between the mysterious and the mundane. The student does not have to be a musician to take this class, and by the end of the class will have an understanding of his/her own creative process in relationship to making a musical composition and in relationship to nature. There will be an emphasis on learning about sound/music from cultures who have stayed in contact with their natural environment; i.e.: Native Americans, the Kaluli of Papua, New Guinea, the Shona of Zimbabwe, and African forest communities such as the Biaka and Mbuti of Zaire and the Central African Republic. Through cross-cultural comparison, the class will explore underlying humanitarian themes, and the impact of nature on sound. In this class we will use self-reflection, listening, improvisation/play, dream-journaling, meditation, and discussion to develop our creative instincts through listening to ourselves and the world around us. Class outcomes will include learning how to listen in the field, collecting natural materials and making instruments, and working collaboratively to create compositions and a visual score/diagram. This final project will culminate in a performance, and feedback session. Additionally, students will research and examine the creative output of the cultures studied, and will become familiar with and learn how to express their own ideas on the creative process both in writing and discussion.
Course Requirements and Learning Outcomes:
- Regular reading and listening assignments: For each class students will have short reading and listening assignments to prepare for class discussion.
- Prepare short (3 page) reflection/critique of readings for each class session, including a question or two that you can bring to the discussion. This is an opportunity for students to formulate and develop their ideas on creative expression in writing.
- Active participation in class discussions: Students will be encouraged to actively participate in class discussion. The nature of this class will be a self-exploration of your creative process in relation to both the natural environment and music, and the selected readings will highlight this subject. As your instructor, I will work to create an environment where students feel safe to speak up and express ideas and opinions. Similarly, I expect students to take initiative in formulating and articulating your ideas regarding the reading and listening assignments.
- Cooperative communication, creative problem solving, and critical thinking: Students will work in small groups (4-5 people) to collaborate on a musical composition that they will perform at the end of class. Students will learn how to communicate cooperatively – how to listen to each other’s ideas, as well as express their own. In any collaboration one must be flexible and work with a sense of give and take. We will engage in exercises to develop a sense of trust and self-respect, as well as a sense of respect for others’ ideas. Students will learn assertiveness skills, how to negotiate, and how to let go when necessary. The instructor will also guide students in mindfulness exercises that encourage self-reflection. The practice of meditation is important for developing creativity, in that it is a process of quieting ones’ thoughts, which often results in insights helpful to creative endeavors. Creative problem-solving – Students will be encouraged to “think outside the box” and to work cooperatively to solve both practical problems such as how to transport delicate materials, make a soft sound heard, or how to build an instrument using water, or more aesthetic problems such as how one might respond emotionally to a specific sound, and issues of meaning conveyed through sound. Students will exercise critical thinking through looking at a variety of cultures and their relationship to sound and nature, and will explore humanitarian issues underlying both individual and group artistic expression.
- Two short papers (4 pages) on topics to be assigned relating to the two textbooks. The papers will be research-oriented and will also include personal reflection on issues discussed in the texts.
- Keeping a Dream Journal: One way to become more attuned to one’s creative instincts is to keep a dream journal. Students will be taught how to recall their dreams, write them down, and how to investigate and mine them for creative ideas and inspiration. Students are encouraged to share at least one entry per class.
- Keeping a Listening Journal: We will practice two kinds of listening. The first will be learning how to listen to natural sounds in the environment. We will take several hikes where students will learn how to pay attention in different ways and keep a journal of what they hear, and report on their emotional and physical response to the sounds. The second will be listening to assigned music and writing about it. This music will include work of contemporary composers and the cultures we are studying. Students are expected to share two entries per class.
- Final Music Composition Project and Performance (takes place of Final Exam): Students will work with their group to develop a music composition from natural materials they have collected in the field, and will perform them for each other at the end of class. They will evaluate and critique both their own and each others’ work, and will learn how to give honest constructive feedback, and how to receive critique in an open, receptive, non-defensive way.
30% - Weekly writings / Attendance / Participation in Discussions
20% - (10% each) two essay papers
10% - Listening Journal
10% - Dream Journal
30% - Final Project and Presentation