Class Meetings:    MW, 10:00-10:50 (CA 148)
Class Limit:   35 (Preference given to Music Majors)
Credits: 2

Instructor's Contact Information:
    E-mail: hungeric@mnstate.edu
    Phone: 218-236-4606

GENERAL DESCRIPTION
This course is a selective survey of popular musics since the 1950s.  The first half of the course focuses on popular musics of the United States and Great Britain.  The second half of the course focuses on popular musics of Africa, the African diaspora, the Indian diaspora, Japan, and the People's Republic of China.  There are four main goals:
        (1) to introduce students to a large variety of musics through listening assignments;
        (2) to give students an opportunity to lead a seminar-style discussion;
        (3) to acquaint students with social, political, aesthetic and cultural issues that are raised by popular musics; and
        (4) to discuss in detail some of the issues involved in cross-cultural music-making.

WORKLOAD
I expect three hours of work per week for each credit you receive.  This is a two-credit class.  I therefore expect you to spend an average of six hours per week on this class.  Two of these hours will be class time.  Approximately three hours per week should be spent on the reading (+50 pages per week) and listening assignments (30-40 minutes of music).  This leaves you enough time to write a 1500-word research paper, the self-created final, and to prepare a group presentation and write-up.

CLASS PARTICIPATION
Education research has consistently shown that people grasp ideas and retain concepts best in interactive environments.  As a
result, I believe that my job is not to lecture--to "download" information--to you.  Rather, I want to get you to think about and
to discuss ideas that are presented in the readings, the listening assignments and in class.  I also want you to examine and
re-examine assumptions that you hold about various aspects of music.  For example:  why do I consider pop to be less "authentic" than rock?  Why do I think that simplistic music is bad?
To achieve this, I need every student to participate in class discussions regularly and in a serious manner.  To do this, you will
need to do the readings and listenings on time and to think about the things you read and listen to.  Since I value class
participation, I will raise the final grades of those students who regularly make substantial and relevant remarks in
class by one notch and lower the final grades of those who rarely speak in class by one notch.  At the beginning of the
semester, I will not regulate class discussions in any way.  If it turns out that only a few of you participate in class discussions on
a consistent basis, however, I am not afraid to institute the dreaded "check-mark" system and to call on those who rarely speak
without prior warning.
Note: You cannot participate in class discussion if you do not attend class.

E-MAIL/WEBPAGE REQUIREMENT
(1) Students taking Music 342 MUST supply the instructor with an e-mail account that you check at least twice a week.
(2) Students taking Music 342 MUST check the course webpage at least once a week.  Recent changes to the webpage
            will be listed at: http://www.mnstate.edu/hung/music342/new.htm.

LISTENING ASSIGNMENTS
Listening assignments are on reserve in the listening lab in the music building AND in Livingston Lord Library.  For those using
the CDs on reserve in Livingston Lord Library, you can find CD players and headphones in the curriculum department of the
library.  If these are not available, portable players with headphones are also available on 2-hour reserve.

TEXTS
(1) Reebee Garofalo, Rockin' Out: Popular Music in the USA. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 1997.
(2) Timothy Taylor, Global Pop: World Music, World Markets.  London: Routledge, 1997.
(3) Andrew F. Jones, Like a Knife: Ideology and Genre in Contemporary Chinese Popular Music.  Ithaca: Cornell East Asia Studies Program, 1992.

EVALUATION
(1) 1500-word research paper (25% of grade)--Extra credit for presenting your paper at the Student Academic Conference
(2) Self-created final (20% of grade)
(3) 4 short tests (40% of grade)--listening IDs and short-answer questions based on listening and reading assignments
(4) Group presentation and write-up (15% of grade)
Note: I reserve the right to raise or lower your final grade by one notch based on your class participation.

MSU Moorhead is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
Last updated: January 8, 2001
If you have any questions about this webpage, please contact Eric Hung (hungeric@mnstate.edu).