MUSIC 25 ~ Music of Latin America & The Caribbean

Professor Rebeca Mauleón-Santana
MWF, 9-10am & 10-11am, A216
Office: A 209; Tel: 415-452-5240
E-mail: rmauleon@ccsf.edu
Office Hours: MWF 12-1pm (By Appointment ONLY)

Syllabus

Click HERE to Visit the Music 25 YouTube Channel!

Objectives:

Students will explore the richness and diversity of Latin American and Caribbean music, and develop an appreciation for the cultural connections that exist within some of the world's most vibrant and popular forms. This course will survey the musical traditions of several Latin American and Caribbean countries, as well as Latin music in the United States.  We will listen to and discuss music in class; students should also listen independently in addition to the required listening lab hours (see "Assignments").  The course will also trace the historical, cultural and socio-political aspects of Latin and Caribbean music on a global scale, and delve into the parallel developments between various genres.

Learning Outcomes:

After successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

A. Analyze, criticize and compare the music of diverse geographical regions and cultural groups in Latin America, the Caribbean and the United States.
B. Analyze the social function of music in Latin American and Caribbean culture.
C. Appraise the historical origins of different musical forms and the ways in which culture is reflected in musical traditions.
D. Distinguish and compare the characteristics of various genres of Latin American and Caribbean music.
E. Differentiate between various forms of music using the concepts and terminology of musicology.

Prerequisites:

You don't need to know anything about music to take this course, but it helps! You may be inspired to take a Music Fundamentals or Music Appreciation class to learn more. You might ask, "Do I need to speak Spanish to take this course?" The answer is, "No, but it helps!" Spanish is certainly important to learn, and you may be motivated to do so after (or while) taking Music 25. However, Spanish is not the only language we will hear in this course. Latin and Caribbean music covers many countries and cultures, and we will encounter well over a dozen languages, including several mixed or "pidgeon" dialects. You might ask if you will be required to play instruments or participate in some musical way in this course, and the answer is always "yes!" The most important way to succeed in this course is to actively participate, not only in class discussions but in all areas.

Materials:

Course Reader (click to download and/or print)

Class notes from the slideshows are available as downloadable PDF files below in the Course Outline. Click the "PDF" link next to each unit to download the class notes for that week.

Additional Reading: Supplementary texts and Reader Packets containing assorted articles by the Instructor and other authors are available at the Reserve Desk in the Rosenberg Library.

Musical Terms: Click on this link to print out and study various musical terms that will help prepare you for a deeper understanding of music.

Research Project Guidelines: Download this helpful document to guide you in your research assignment.

Also see the Links page for more suggestions.

Assignments:

There are four main assignments for this class:

~ Weekly reading from Course Reader
~ Weekly listening & journal (you will turn in two, 2-page summary reports, typed, double-spaced)
~ Live concert report (1-2 pages, typed, double-spaced)
~ Final Research Paper or Project (papers must be typed, double-spaced and must include a bibliography)

1. Weekly Reading ~ Each week you should read at least 2 articles from the Course Reader. Download the reader to your computer or print for convenience.

2. Listening Lab & Journal ~ This is a weekly listening assignment which you will do at the Rosenberg Library Media Center, or via iTunes-U for a total of at least 14 hours. To access our collection on iTunes-U, go to: http://www.ccsf.edu/~itunesu/index.php. At the prompt enter student login: music25_students, and student password: music25. You will see several play-lists; be sure to subscribe to each of them so the music will download to your computer. For listening at the Library you will obtain a blue time-card from the Media Center and use this every week to record your lab hours. Print out the Listening Guide and take it with you to the Media Center. You may select a CD of the country or style(s) for each week; you may only check out one CD at a time, but are free to listen to different CDs and write about them in comparative fashion. You are also welcome to listen to your own personal collection if you have music from any of the countries we will explore, as long as you follow the order of countries or topics in the course. The complete catalog of audio CDs, videos and DVDs is available for you to choose from; video or DVD viewing also counts toward this assignment.  The nature of the assignment is to do deep listening, meaning that as you listen, I want you to take notes on your thoughts or feelings about the music and also apply the vocabulary and other concepts we’ve discussed in class.  You will then type two, 2-page summaries of your journal entries, listing the album and song titles, artist and musical style (typed, double-spaced).  You will turn in your first journal summary at the Mid-Term, and second summary on the last day of class, each with the blue time card stapled to it. You will use one card for the first half of the semester and another for the second half. See this example of an excellent journal synopsis. Click HERE for the Rosenberg Library schedule.

3. Live Concert Report ~ You are required to attend at least one live musical performance (or dance performance if it includes live musical accompaniment) of Latin American or Caribbean music, and write a one to two-page report on the event (typed, double-spaced). DUE on or before the last day of class.

4. Final Research Project ~ Click HERE to download the instructor's Research Paper/Project Guidelines sheet. Your research assignment can be any creative, research-based project, where you turn in either a 5 to 10-page research paper, a Keynote or PowerPoint presentation, iMovie or Quicktime movie,Website, Blog or other multi-media project or a visual media project (such as a scrapbook). Your topic does not necessarily need to cover anything discussed in class, but must be on some aspect of Latin American or Caribbean music, as well as Latin music in the U.S. The project can also be a live presentation for the class, such as a music or dance demonstration, showing an original documentary film or any type of media presentation. Other choices include music performance or composition, etc... If you would like to do an in-class presentation, you must schedule your date with me as soon as your project is approved. You must turn in a project proposal or reserach paper outline for my approval before you begin your research (see the deadline for turning in your proposal below in the Course Calendar). All final projects or papers must be submitted no later than the last day of class. Research papers and projects MUST include a bibliography (list of sources cited), no exceptions!

All work submitted on line should be as MS Word documents using the file extension ".doc"
All media projects must be delivered via flash drive directly to Professor Mauleón in either PowerPoint, Keynote, iMovie or Quicktime formats. You must include all of the media contained in the project (audio, video and photos) in a folder along with your main file.
All visual media must include a list of sources used for research (on thelast page or slide).

PLEASE DO NOT DELIVER MEDIA on CDs or floppy disks.

All paper submissions will be recycled at the end of the grading period unless you wish them to be returned. In this case, you must provide a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) including proper postage for the total weight of the items.

Exams:

There will be two exams, one at Mid-Term (on the Caribbean) and one at Final (covering South & Central America and México). Please check and print out the Study Guides for the Mid-Term and the Final prior to the exams.

Course Calendar:

Schedule of important dates for SPRING 2014. The exam schedule is in BOLD type.

Grading Policy:

Weekly Reading = 10% ~ Weekly Listening Lab and Journal = 20% ~ Concert Report = 10% ~ Research Paper/Project = 30% ~ Mid-Term & Final Exams = 20% ~ Attendance = 10% (students are responsible for work regardless of attendance; unexcused absences will affect your grade!)

All assignments must be turned in on time.  Any paper which does not meet College specifications and does not include a bibliography will not be accepted, resulting in a failing grade. Turning in of plagiarized work (not your own work) will result in a failing grade, as well as more serious consequences.  Students taking this course Credit/No Credit are only required to take the Mid-Term and Final exams and do the Concert Report.

How to get an “A” in this class:
Attend regularly, participate in class discussions and turn in all work on time!

Extra Credit Options: Extra listening lab entries and additional live concert reports will boost your grade by .5 grade each.

Attendance/Absences: Class begins promptly at ten (10) minutes past the hour! If you are more than 10 minutes late you will be marked "tardy;" three tardies will count as an unexcused absence. Unexcused absences will affect your grade; three unexcused absences (equivalent to 9 tardies) will lower your grade. Also, note that I may not automatically drop you if you miss a significant amount of classes - you MUST notify me if you wish to be dropped from the class. Failure to do so will result in an incomplete or failing grade!

Policy on Academic Integrity: Students shall honestly prepare assignments and take examinations and submit them at the time and in the manner specified by the instructor. The content of all submitted examinations and assignments is assumed to represent the student’s own work unless otherwise specified (e.g., group projects). Plagiarism is a serious breach of academic trust. For purposes of the CCSF Honor Code, plagiarism is defined as intentionally or knowingly using someone else’s ideas, words, and/or thoughts without properly crediting the source. All work for which a source is not cited is presumed to be that of the writer. If the Academic Integrity Standards described above are violated, the instructor will decide on an appropriate response that may include the assignment of extra work, lowering grades on a particular assignment, failure of the course, and/or the report of the incident to the Dean of Students for further sanction. Please see the CCSF Student Guide on avoiding plagiarism provided by the Library.

Course Outline:

UNIT I ~ INTRODUCTION: "THE CARIBBEAN CROSSROADS " PDF Unit I

UNIT II ~ CUBA: FOLKLORE & POPULAR MUSIC to 1959 PDF Unit IIA & PDF Unit IIB
Assignment: Listening Lab hours begin (SEE BELOW*)
Read: Course Reader, pages 1-6.

*Listening Assignment: Go to the "Weekly Listening" page to see a partial list of CDs, Videos and DVDs for this course. You will go to the Media Center in the Library, select an item and write about your experience (you should print out the Weekly Listening pages to take with you for reference). You will obtain a blue timecard from the Media Center and keep track of your hours. You are required to listen to approximately one hour (or one CD) per week. (You may also view a video or DVD and write about it. Check for recent additions to the collection.)

UNIT III ~ POST-REVOLUTIONARY CUBAN MUSIC ('60s-Now) PDF Unit III
Read: Course Reader, pages 7-8
Also see: Video on Cuban Hip-Hop, Young Cubans Yearn... (article on Cuban society, Nov. 2006)
and Was Cuba Ever... (article on Cuba-U.S. politics, Jan. 2007)

UNITS IV & V ~ PUERTO RICO, SALSA & LATIN JAZZ PDF Unit IV & PDF Unit V
Read: Course Reader, pages 8-14

UNIT VI ~ THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC & HAITI PDF Unit VII
Read: Course Reader, pages 15-17
Also see: Newsletter on bachata by author Ned Sublette

UNIT VII ~ JAMAICA PDF Unit VIII
Read: Course Reader, pages 17-21 and Article on Rastafarianism

Unit VIII ~ TRINIDAD & TOBAGO PDF Unit IX
Read: Course Reader, pages 22-24.
Also see: Trinidad & Tobago Facts

MID-TERM PERIOD ~ REVIEW & PRINT MID-TERM VOCABULARY
Listen: "Music 25 Final Mix," Parts IA, IB & II (un-catalogued)

UNIT IX ~ INDIGENOUS CULTURES IN THE AMERICAS; COLOMBIA & VENEZUELA PDF Unit IXA & PDF Unit IXB
Read: "Who Were the First Americans?" and Indigenous Inventions in the Americas
Read: Course Reader, pages 25-27.

UNIT X ~ BRAZIL PDF Unit X
Assignment: Read Introduction and Chapters 1 - 3, The Brazilian Sound
Read: Course Reader, pages 28-31.

UNIT XI ~ ARGENTINA, PERÚ & THE ANDES PDF Unit XI
Read: Course Reader, pages 31-34.
Also see: article on Bolivian Tinku tradition

UNIT XII ~ NUEVA CANCIÓN & CENTRAL AMERICA PDF Unit XII
Read: Course Reader, pages 34-37.
Also see: Nicaraguan culture

UNIT XIII ~ MEXICO & TEX-MEX (NORTEÑO) MUSIC PDF Unit XIII
Read: Course Reader, pages 37-41.
Also see: Article on the Narco Corrido in Time Magazine, November 1st 2010 issue

UNIT XIV ~ LATIN ROCK & ROCK EN ESPAÑOL PDF Unit XIV
Read: Wikipedia Article on Rock en Español
Also see: Article on Ritchie Valens and Article on Carlos Santana

FINAL PERIOD ~ REVIEW & PRINT FINAL VOCALBULARY
Listen: "Music 25 Final Mix," Parts III & IV (un-catalogued)

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