• Course Description
• Intentions and Goals
• Cultural Areas Approach: A Limited Geographic Survey
• Course Purpose and Philosophy
• Readings
• Recommended Feature Films
• Exams, Written Assignments, and Worksheets
• How To Write Your Written Assignments and Final Essay
• Submission of Written Assignments
• Essays Draft
• Essay Topic
• Project Statement
• Essay Bibliography
• Internet Access
• WebCT Accounts
• Grading Policy
• Final Grade
• No Makeup Policy
• About the Internet

Intentions and Goals

The intention and goal of this course is to discuss in depth and cross-culturally a singll theme, Music and Theater.

The following mausical-theatrical genres will be discussed:
 

• Karagöz, shadow play in Turkey (Bujlud, street masquerades in Morocco)
• Wayang Kulit, shadow play in Java and Bali, Indonesia
• Pi Ying Xi, shadow play in China

• Jingju/Jingxi -- Beijing Opera

• Bunraku
• Kabuki, Noh Drama, Shinto

The scope of this course is geographically limited, and its intention is not to make a broad geographical survey of many musical and theatrical traditions in the world.  Its focus is rather placed on several broadly conceived musical-cultural areas, all of which are connected by the four themes, listed above.  The cultural areas covered are:

1.  West Asia
• Turkey, Iran
2.  South, Central, East, and Southeast Asia
• India, Kashmir, Kazakhstan, China, Korea, Japan, Indonesia
3.  Africa
• Morocco, Ghana, Nigeria, South African Republic
• 4.  North America

The purpose of the course is to encourage your critical thinking, reading, listening and viewing of presented musical-theatrical material, as well as of my own classroom statements.  The course philosophy is to raise a number of critical questions and to make students aware of certain social, cultural, political, ideological, philosophical issues as they are reflected in, through, and by music as everyday practice.  Another philosophical emphasis is to encourage students to look at the ways such issues are differently understood, constructed and perpetuated / reconstructed by different musicians as everyday actors and practitioners.  Thus, the concept of difference is emphasized and contrasted to that of identity

See the Readings page

• Movie about the life of a Chinese shadow play puppeteer and his family during the turbulent years of the modern Chinese history, spanning from the 1940s, through the early Communist era, the Cultural Revolution, and the present. Contains scenes with communist mass songs.

Movie about the two male Beijing Opera stars, their sexual identities, whose stage and everyday lives are hopelessly intermingled. Covers the fifty year period in the modern Chinese history.

• Movie banned in China but highly acclaimed abroad. A story about a young schoolteacher, from her first marriage in 1953 to the Cultural Revolution in 1967. Contains scenes with communist mass songs.

• During the semester, you will be assigned one research paper, based on your original fieldwork in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area or Gettysburg area
• The topic of your fieldwork research and paper will be discussed with me
• You will be closely working on your research progress and your paper writing with me
• Length of paper: minimum 10 pages
• Guidelines for content and style are posted on the web and may be discussed in class  or in my office
• For submission of your papers and their due dates see instructions on How to Write Your Essay, below. 
• Late papers will be accepted and graded one letter grade down. 

• Worksheets and listening guides accompany course readings.  Due dates will be listed on the worksheets. Worksheets, handouts, and listening guides will be available in the Worksheets Page on the web (click on the link listed in the left-hand column).  Check the web version of the syllabus for updated availability of these materials. 

• The process of writing your Research Essay will consist of the following steps:
1. Essay Title
2. Project Statement (see below)
3. Essay Bibliography (see below)
4. Essay Draft (see below)
5. Final Essay

• Your essay and written assignments including the above steps must be submitted both as hard copy handed to your TA in class, and electronically posted on myWebCT in appropriate forums (see below)
• Timely posting of your assignments is essential
• Late submissions will significantly affect your final grade

• Before you electronically post and sumbit in class the hard copy of your Research Essay you must first submit its Draft, a rough or semi-polished text of your essay which must be at least two thirds or some 70 % of your final version of essay part
• Drafts must have a bibliography (References cited)
• The duedate for your Draft submission and its electronic posting is listed in Deadlines Page

• Topics of your essay will be discussed both in class and/or privately in my office
• I encourage you to think of and possibly choose from the following topics and then connect them with music:
• Gender issues
• Sexuality (Homo-/Hetero-/Bi-)
• Feminine issues
• Power and Domination
• Politics
• Identity
• Religion 
• Ideology
• Media
• Critical Thinking and Originality of your ideas are crucial
• I am expecting you write an original essayistic piece and show your best writing skills
• I am not expecting you to just rewrite sentences or paragraphs from other sources
• You expected to quote from other sources but your text must be your own digest of your own original research and creative critical thinking
• Always cite even if you paraphrase!!!
• Instruction on how to write your essays, as well as essay format and style, are stated in the Essays document for this course

• Essay will be preceded by a Project Statement
• Project Statement must clearly state your main ideas, i.e.:
• what your essay is about
• how are you going to do it
• what methodology you will use
• what your aim, purpose and goals are
• Project Statement must not exceed 100 words

• Each essay draft and written assignment must be accompanied by a Bibliography / References Cited (see Essays Page)

• You must have a valid internet access, i.e. an e-mail account at Gettysburg College
• All students at Gettysburg College have electronic accounts automatically reserved for them at the time of their enrollment, so make sure to validate your account and activate it if it has not yet been used

• You must create an electronic account for this course at UMBC's World Wide Web Course Tools (WebCT) site.
• To create you account in WebCT:
1. Click on this link -- WebCT -- 
2. Then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "Create Account" button
3. Fill in all required textboxes
4. Login
• For easier and safest use of WebCT, I strongly suggest that you use your Gettysburg College Login ID and Password
• Student information, such as grades and activity, contained in this site is confidential

Your presence in each class is crucial, and your class attendance and activity will affect your Final Grade.  All absences must be excusable and you will have to provide a clear proof for such absences.

• If you miss six classes (three full semestral weeks), you will fail the course, and your Final Grade will be an F, regardless of whether your absences are excusable or not.  In this case I suggest you withdraw from this course.
• If you miss more than three classes, your grade will be lowered by one grade letter (for example, A becomes B, etc.)
• If you miss up to two classes, you do not have to submit any explanation for your absences.  Otherwise, all absences should be explained and your explanation posted on WebCT.
• However, I do not recommend you miss any classes.
• All absences are cumulative.  This means that you may not use the two allowed absences, for which you do not have to submit any proof, and treat them separately from other absences you might make.
• It is your responsibility to be punctual and come to class on time.
• I insist on punctuality and do not tolerate late arrivals!
• If you come to class after I take the roll, you will be marked as being absent.

• There will be no formal tests/exams administered in this course
• Your final grade willo be calculated basing on the quality and successful completion of your research project, its presentation in class, and its written versions in the form of an essay and the steps sepcified in the How to Write Your Essay section above
• Fieldwork Research Project and its Class Presentation - 30%
• Research Esay - 40%
• Your discussion of assigned readings in class, critical thinking, activity on WebCT (doing quizzes, sharing information if any, and other activities) - 30%
• IMPORTANT:  Your discussions and active participation in class, punctuality, regular attendance, and your active interest in course material will substantially affect your final grade
• You may always check your class progress and grades on WebCT

1. It is your responsibility to take all tests at their scheduled times
2. The only exceptions to this rule that might be taken into consideration are cases of serious illness or other serious situations beyond your control that may have prevented you from taking the test at its scheduled time
3. All such matters must be officially proved and supported by official evidence presented to me.  Prior to taking a makeup test you will also need to present written approval concerning your case signed by the Music Department Chairperson
4. It is your responsibility to arrange the time and place of all make-up tests with the secretary of Music Department and inform me about that at least a week earlier
5. For further information on Gettysburg College Policies see official documents
6. It is your responsibility to complete this course within the set time.  I do not give an Incomplete, "I," grade to any students.  In cases where you do not complete all requirements in this course you will be given an F as your Final Grade

I am wholeheartedly encouraging you to take my Webpage and the documents contained in it seriously as another learning and information tool pertaining to this class

Since all of you have e-mail accounts at Gettysburg College, I will keep sending you occasionally chain messages reminding you of certain events in our class, such as test dates, or even announcing other events

I will not accept any excuse for ignoring to use the Internet in this class

The best, fastest and easiest way of contacting me is via WebCT

I cannot guarantee that I will return your phone calls, but I guarantee you that I will respond to your postings on WebCT

Although you may leave messages for me to the secretary in the Music Office or even leave note-pads in my mail box, it would be more beneficial and efficient if you get the habit of using WebCT