Music, Gender and Sexuality
Undergraduate course
- ECTS credits
- 15
- Teaching semesters Autumn
- Course code
- MVK210
- Number of semesters
- 1
- Teaching language
- English
- Resources
- Schedule
Course description
Objectives and Content
Gender and sexuality ¿ linked, though distinct ¿ exist within and are productive of a complex matrix of social and biological ¿facts,¿ and discourses. This course will introduce and examine the ways in which musics and musical discourses are implicated in the constructions of genders and sexualities. It will also consider the connections between such constructions and specifically affective forms of expressive culture. We will examine these issues through theoretical (sometimes ethnographically or sociologically based) texts, as well as audio/visual materials. Although much of the focus will be on mass-mediated ¿popular¿ musics of approximately the last century, coming from the industrialized West, , we will also engage musics from other historical and geographical locations.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the course the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:
- have a solid knowledge of several foundational theoretical texts devoted to the critical examination of gender and sexuality
- have competence in using seminal and contemporary texts in gender and sexuality studies in the critical examination of musics and musical practices
- gain a broad knowledge of numerous styles and genres of music from varied historical and geographical locations
- have the skill to independently work with source materials and theoretical texts to examine the ways in which culturally and historically contextualized musics and musical practices are produced by and productive of constructions and discourses of gender and sexuality
Full-time/Part-time
ECTS Credits
15
Level of Study
Bachelor
Semester of Instruction
Høst, oppstart avhengig av tilstrekkelige ressurser
Place of Instruction
Bergen
Required Previous Knowledge
None
Recommended Previous Knowledge
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
Access to the Course
The course is open for all students at the University of Bergen
Compulsory Assignments and Attendance
- Attendance at lectures and seminars
- All instruction is obligatory; absence of more than 20% leads to loss of right to take the exam.
- All mandatory instruction must be completed and approved before the exam
- 4-5 short reading responses spaced throughout the semester (200-300 words each) to be turned in before the lectures associated with those readings (godkjent/ikke godkjent)
- One end-of-semester presentation related to student¿s term paper (godkjent/ikke godkjent)
Forms of Assessment
- Assignment portfolio (mappevurdering) with two assignments:
- One short written mid-term assignment (1000 words, +/-) based upon the course readings assigned during the first half of the course (25% of grade)
- Term paper of ca. 4000-5000 words. This paper will focus on a specific work, corpus of works, genre/style, and/or theoretical question relevant to the course, and must exhibit that the student has been able to a) formulate a valid research question; b) find appropriate academic literature and enlist a relevant theoretical focus to support her/his thesis; and c) correctly and convincingly contextualize her/his analysis with respect to historical and sociocultural variables (75% of grade)
- In order to pass the course, both assignments must be completed with a passing grade
- The midterm and final papers will be written in English
Internal evaluation with at least two examiners
Grading Scale
Letter grade from A to F
Assessment Semester
Høst
Reading List
Approx. 800 pages of core pensum, as well as audiovisual examples as course readings, with an additional 200 pages, chosen by the student in consultation with the teacher, related to student¿s final research paper.
Course Evaluation
Evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the quality assurance system guidelines for the University of Bergen
Examination Support Material
Programme Committee
Course Coordinator
Stephen Amico
Course Administrator
Griegakademiet - Institutt for musikk