Music 110

WELCOME
Welcome to Online Music History Survey, MUS 110. I hope taking this course will be an enriching and fun experience for you. The technical aspects are not difficult, but do require some attention. That's one reason there is a MANDATORY ORIENTATION so that we can discuss it together. In addition, once you have begun the course it will be important to keep up with the class. Once due dates have passed, you will no longer be able to access some parts of the course, so it will be important not to fall behind.

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND GOALS
The aims of this course are very simple: To provide you with the tools for a basic understanding of the different music periods in history, and familiarize you with the main composers, music literature, and genres in each one of them.

Imagine that you are a composer or a performer. This may not be hard for some of you, as you may already be one. Now think about the music that you compose or perform. The particular approach you bring to a piece of music depends on many factors: who your teachers were, who your musical influences were, or your own ingenuity. There will even be some factors that are out of your control, but have an equally profound effect on the music you create: the social or political climate of the time you live in; your upbringing; your religious or spiritual background. The music you make is shaped by the same influences that shape your life, your personality, and your beliefs. Similarly, when we look at the music of the great composers, we want to know what shapes their music. We want to understand how and why their music can have such a deep influence on us.

To understand the answers to these questions, it is important to analyze the musical style of a composer along with his life circumstances, the political, social, and religious beliefs of his era, and the impact of his or her style on following generations.

This, in essence, is the main point of our study of music history. We will focus on the salient characteristics of the music of different composers and historical periods. We will also look at the personal stories of the great composers. Our goal is to better understand their interrelation with their music, and, hopefully, to better understand the music of our own time.

You will notice that there are a number of LINKS throughout the course. These are not merely "graphic decoration." They include definitions of words, architectural drawings, cathedral floor plans, great works of art, timelines, and much, much more. This information is as much a part of the course as the rest of the text and is intended to enhance your understanding of the subject. This information will also enable you to better respond to the Assignments and answer exam questions.

OnMusic History Survey © 2000-2004 Copyright is the Property of Connect for Education, Inc. Access to this course is limited to Students enrolled in Online Music History Survey. All rights reserved.

IMPORTANT DATES
Orientation -  Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 5:00 PM in room CI 159
First Class - Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Midterm - Monday, January 23, 2012
Final - Friday, February 10, 2012

GETTING STARTED
To get started with the course:

You must purchase an access code that has NOT been previously used by another student. Access codes are tied to student records, and, therefore, each one must be unique. If you try to register a used access code, you won't be able to enroll in the class.

To successfully access this course, please follow these steps:

• Purchase a new access code at the Citrus Bookstore, or from connect4education.com.
• Once you have purchased an access code you may go to connect4education.com and register for the course. If your registration is valid, you will receive an automatic web confirmation and an email message.
• Once you have registered you may type in your login name and password.
• Click the Logon button.

EMAIL ACCOUNTS
You will need to use your Citrus College issued email account. Your email address is established when you register for classes at Citrus College. You must have access to your email address prior to starting the class

CONTACT INFORMATION
Your instructor for this online class is Professor Bruce Langford. Professor Langford can be contacted at:

Music Department at Citrus College
Office: PA135
Office hours: By appointment.
E-mail: blangford@citruscollege.edu   
Phone: 626.914.8585
Fax: 626.914.8582

Professor Langford will respond to email within two hours whenever possible, and within 24 hours in all cases.

MINIMUM HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

PC

• Windows XP, Vista, or better
• 133Mhz or faster Pentium processor (or equivalent)
• 16X CD-ROM Drive or faster
• 128MB of RAM or more
• 28.8 kbps modem or faster
• Sound card and speakers
• Stereo Headphones

Macintosh

• Mac OS X or above 
• Power Mac G4, Power Mac G5, Mac Pro, iMac, Mac mini or MacBook
• 16X CD-ROM Drive or faster
• 128MB of RAM or more
• 28.8 kbps modem or faster
• Stereo Headphones

MINIMUM SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
You will need the most current version of RealPlayer, current version of Flash Player, and the Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6 or higher

COURSE FORMAT
OnMusic History Survey is offered using the incredible resources of the World Wide Web (WWW) for learning purposes. This format has challenged many traditionally held assumptions about teaching and learning. I will not go into the many ways this has happened. I will, rather, let this exciting adventure unfold and reveal its lessons to all of you.

There will be no lectures in this course. Actually, we will be at the opposite pole of the lecture paradigm. In this course, you are expected to communicate constantly with your classmates via electronic mail and Discussion Forums, and to cooperatively learn concepts, solve problems, and complete projects. This will be a major component of the learning experience.

This is a fully paperless class. All course materials, including the musical examples on CD-ROM, will be accessed electronically. Electronic mail (email) and Discussion Forums will be the main source of information and interaction among us.

However, you must be fully conscious that despite its present state of sophistication, computer technology is, for many reasons, quite immature. Expect to encounter some hurdles along the way. Don't be frustrated by them. Learn from your shortcomings and those of the technologies that we will be using.

EVALUATION AND GRADING

Evaluation
16 Quizzes 16%
4 Assignments 24%
Concert Report 10%
Midterm exam 25%
Final exam 25%

Grading
A fixed grade scale is used, so that it is possible for everyone to do well.
A..........90-100%
B..........80-89%
C..........70-79%
D..........60-69%
F..........below 60%

If you have a disability documented by a physician or other appropriate professional and wish to discuss academic accommodations, please contact the DSP&S office at (626) 914-8675. Please discuss your accommodations with your instructor by email. Be sure to allow at least one week for appropriate accommodations to be arranged.