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Selected Topics in Music Cognition (336-0-1)

Topic

Music, Thought, and Language

Instructors

Richard D Ashley
847/491-5720
r-ashley@northwestern.edu
Office Hours: W 10-11 and by appt.
Professor, music theory and cognition program. Research and publications in music cognition focusing on expressive performance, musical communication, and long-term memory for music. President, Society for Music Perception and Cognition. Member, editorial board, Music Perception. Recipient of two Fulbright grants for research in the Netherlands and grants from National Endowment for the Humanities and U.S. Department of Education. Recipient, Bienen School of Music Exemplar in Teaching Award. Also teaches in the cognitive science program.

Meeting Info

RCMA 1-172: Tues, Thurs 9:30AM - 10:50AM

Overview of class

Music, language, and thought: "Which of these things is not like the other?" Some, if not most, would answer "Music!", feeling that all thought is primarily based in language. This class questions that response, and seeks to address what it means to think in purely musical ways, as opposed to ways that depend on language. We will read a wide range of materials, from music cognition, music theory, ethnomusicology, linguistics, and cognitive psychology; we will address thought and behavior as musical, spatial, linguistic, visual, and embodied.

Learning Objectives

Goals of the Course

  • Engagement with music as a distinctive domain for cognition and action
  • Deeper understanding of the relationship between music and language
  • Ability to find, read, and comprehend empirical and musicological literature on music and language

Structure of the Course
  • Unit I (three weeks): Introduction; experiencing musical thought
  • Unit II (three weeks): How have music and language been considered alike?
  • Unit III (three weeks): How does music differ from language?

Evaluation Method

Your grade will be based on routine faithfulness in your daily work and class participation; keep up with the work at all times or you may be disappointed in your final grade.

All assignments are due on Canvas at the times specified; no late assignments will be accepted. Class participation will be based on your comments and interaction during the class sessions and on your interaction with other class members' written contributions.

Attendance is expected at all class meetings. You are allowed two 'free' absences, which will include any days class as a whole does not meet; above this, each absence will lower the final grade one level (e.g. fro- to B+). This class is therefore not appropriate for students with a significant travel schedule or who will leave campus before the end of term.

Class Materials (Required)

This course focuses on primary readings, mostly published articles and book chapters. The typical load should be about 3-4 readings per week. There is no textbook for this class. Materials are made available on Canvas or from NU library in electronic form.