Musicology and Music Theory (M.Phil.)
Course Description:
This one-year course is designed to offer a grounding in two core areas within the academic study of music—Musicology (historical, critical and analytical), and Music Theory. Many universities offer postgraduate taught programmes in Musicology; rather fewer offer equivalent courses in Music Theory. This course is one of a small number of programmes that offer students both. Where possible, shared or interdisciplinary modules are being offered, although the need for prior musical training means that the number of such modules is limited. At least one full module, focussed around music as a cultural phenomenon (a branch of historical musicology), will be made available to students on the School of Drama, Film and Music's other M.Phil. courses. Also, although the larger part of the module on Research Methodologies in Music is specialist, some individual lectures will be shared with equivalent modules in the other M.Phil. courses in the School.
A choice of modules offered reflects the research and teaching strengths of the current staff:
- Research methodologies and their applications to music.
- Historical case studies in 19th- and 20th-century musicology.
- Contemporary theory and practice in musicology.
- Schenkerian Theory.
- Post-tonal Theory.
- Electives in musicology and music theory.
All students will take three modules throughout Michaelmas and Hilary terms, plus the module in Research Methodologies that will be spread across Michaelmas and Hilary Terms and, via dissertation supervision, into Trinity term. Therefore students will take a total of seven modules during the entire course. Each module will consist of nine 2-hour sessions incorporating formal lectures, plus seminars in which students will give presentations. In each term, students will take one core module in Musicology and one in Music Theory. They will also choose from a list of electives in both areas. All students will be required to register their choice of electives before 1st of September but the availability of electives will be subject to staffing and other restraints.
Assessment will be via one 4,000-word essay for each module and a 15,000-word research dissertation with its topic to be decided early in Hilary Term. During Trinity Term, students will receive individual supervision for the dissertation, which must be submitted by September 1st.
A detailed syllabus of the course is available at the Internet address above.
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