CMUS 213 Survey of Commercial Music Literature

CMUS 213 is a survey of significant popular and jazz musicians, genres, and works. The student will observe how commercial music continues to be shaped by sounds and cultural principles that predate radio technology. Studying this information will facilitate effective interactions in personal, academic, and professional musical settings. Additionally, the student will cultivate active listening skills and practice using vocabulary and analytical tools necessary to articulate their musical perceptions.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

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After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to create a thread addressing each prompt to demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each thread must be at least 250 words and each reply must be at least 75 words. Any quotes or links utilized are noted in a Notes-Bibliography Turabian format citation (FOOTNOTE entry, not a bibliography entry). Sources, including YouTube links, must be cited in current Turabian format. A minimum of 2 sources written in current Turabian format are required for the Discussion Thread: Term Paper Sources and Ideas.

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will submit the same video file he/she submitted in the Research Presentation: Popular Musicians Approach to Christian Music Assignment for their thread. The student must then post 2 replies of at least 75 words each (150 words total). The student must cite at least 1 academic source that supports his/her ideas. Any quotes or links utilized are noted in a Notes-Bibliography Turabian format citation (FOOTNOTE entry, not a bibliography entry). Sources, including YouTube links, must be cited in current Turabian format.

The student will create a Spotify playlist that is intended to expand his/her listening and exposure to unfamiliar genres and subgenres of popular and jazz music. The student will add at least 2 new songs to their playlist every module/week of the semester, which they may add only after they have completed the required readings and listening. The songs the student adds must be related to or inspired by the music discussed in that week’s readings or presentation, but examples from musicians discussed in the current module do not count toward the 2-song minimum. The student will then create a Word document to submit each week that will document each new addition to their playlist. The document must contain all additions from prior weeks. Each week must be separated by a header, with the most recent additions listed at the top. For each song, the student will explain how they learned about the song, why they added the song, and if they have listened to the song in full.

The student will articulate their research in a 5-8 minute video presentation that compares and contrasts the works of 1 mainstream popular artist or band/group who released music with perceptible Christian themes after establishing their career with non-religious music. This assignment requires the use of PowerPoint or Keynote. The student will create a video of the narration of their PowerPoint or Keynote presentation. The presentation should include an excerpt of the song being discussed (taking no more than 3 minutes of the presentation) and should include a title page and a bibliography slide. The presentation must include a minimum of 4 sources, 2 which should be academic sources, cited in current Turabian format. The student will upload the completed video or a shareable link into Canvas. 

The student will select a Christian songwriter or artist who was able to balance both their biblical worldview and their career as a musician. The student will then write a formal research paper in current Turabian format discussing the artist’s lifestyle habits and life mission and how these shared their career. This assignment requires a minimum of 1,000 words, at least 5 academic sources (3 of which must be scholarly sources), and at least 5 scripture references. The paper will follow the provided Term Paper Template and include a title page, introduction, body, conclusion, and bibliography. Current Turabian format is required.

Quizzes are assessments of the information studied since the last quiz. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 25 multiple-choice and true/false questions, and have a 2 hour and 30 minutes time limit. Each quiz allows for 3 attempts with the highest score counting towards the grade.