Meeting Time: MWF 1:00 P.M.
Meeting Place: Smith Hall
121
Instructor: Dr. Joseph
Harchanko, D.M.A.
Office Hours:
www.wou.edu/~harchanj/schedule.htm (by appointment)*
*I make every effort to be available to students. You are welcome to drop by my office if you have questions or need to talk to me. I am also happy to schedule appointments at mutually convenient times for you and me to meet. Communication between students and faculty is important. Please keep me informed if for some reason you are experiencing difficulties with the class and I will do my best to work with you to overcome them.
Contact information:
Office: APS 233 A (Enter
suite from outside hall without knocking)
Phone: 838-8874
Email: harchanko@wou.edu
Web: www.wou.edu/~harchanj
COURSE
DESCRIPTION/OBJECTIVES:
This course will cover music
that has affected the broadest segments of American society from the year 1840
to the present in order to provide greater understanding of the role of
culture, society and politics in shaping our national identity through music.
Students should be able to
demonstrate an understanding of the following:
Additionally, students will
be required to recognize the title, composer, and performer of all works
contained on the course CDs and place those works within a historical context.
Required
texts:
ÒAmerican Popular Music:
From Minstrelsy to MP3s by Larry Starr and Christopher Waterman, Oxford
University Press, New York, 2003.
TEACHING
PHILOSOPHY
I consider teaching the most important aspect of my
job. I am committed to the success
of every student. That success
comes from creating a fair and safe environment were students develop the
skills and knowledge to be responsible and questioning citizens. The ability to be self-teaching is the
greatest skill that I can foster.
Learning is, therefore, less about the acquisition of a finite knowledge
and more about training the mind to reason and seek knowledge.
POLICIES:
If you need course
adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency
medical information to share with your instructor, or if you need special
arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment
with the instructor as soon as possible.
ATTENDANCE:
Attendance is strongly encouraged. Please arrive on time and be prepared to learn
and participate. Any absences due to field trips, other out-of-town travel, or
non-emergencies must be cleared with your instructor in advance. If you miss an
graded assignment (such as a test or exam) because of an emergency, you should
contact your instructor immediately, by BOTH phone and email. Students are
responsible for all missed material.
If you have flu-like symptoms such as fever, pronounced muscle aches throughout
the body, headache, cough, sore throat and stuffed up or runny nose, nausea, or
vomiting, please do not come to class. Contact your professor by email. You are
encouraged to keep pace with on-line materials and with the syllabus schedule. Flu
symptoms differ from cold symptoms by the suddenness that one becomes ill and
the over all intensity of the symptoms.
THE FINAL EXAM IS FRIDAY DECEMBER 11 AT 10 A.M.. THERE WILL BE NO
OPORTUNITY TO TAKE THIS EXAM EARLY. DO NOT PLAN TO TRAVEL BEFORE
DECEMBER 11.
Quizes
and Exams:
Quizzes are not always cited in the schedule and may not be announced before
class. You will not be able to make up missed quizzes and exams. Conflicts with the
scheduled class times or final exam should be discussed with your instructor well in
advance.
The quiz average may be substituted for one regular exam grade (not the final exam)
if the quiz average exceeds any exam grade. Additionally, one regular exam grade
will be dropped (not the final exam).
ASSIGNMENTS:
All assignments must be
done neatly to be accepted. The instructor reserves the right to refuse any
work if it is sloppy or illegible.
Put your name on each sheet to be submitted. Please note that scoring
any number of points is preferable to zero, which is the score assigned if
exams and papers are not turned in.
No form of academic misconduct such as plagiarism or
cheating will be tolerated. Be advised of the regulations pertaining to
these and other relevant matters in the WOU Student Handbook (see below).
GRADING:
80% exams
20%
will be based on the final exam
Most work
will receive a numerical grade in the form of points received out of the total
points possible. Your percentage will convert to a letter grade as follows:
|
A = 93–100% A–
= 90–92% |
B+
= 88-89% B
= 83-87% B–
= 80-82% |
C+
= 78-79% C
= 73-77% C–
= 70-72% |
D
= 60-69% F
= 0–59% |
(There is
no grade of D+ or D– in this class.)
TUTORING AND EXTRA HELP:
If you fall behind in this
class or do not understand the material, seek additional help. You are
encouraged to speak to your instructor directly. Students who earn a failing grade on their first exam must
make an office appointment with me within one week of receiving their scores so
as to discuss learning strategies for improving their chances at success. Any
student who may be in need of help is strongly encouraged to contact the
Learning Center and arrange a tutor (see below).
RECORD KEEPING:
Your instructor keeps an
accurate record of all grades. Nevertheless, it is strongly recommended that
each student keep an accurate record of his/her theory grades and other
statistics in case a discrepancy should arise. Keep all of your homework and tests after they are
returned to you.
E-MAIL – Students are responsible to regularly check
their WOU email accounts. It is
assumed that any message sent to this account is received within 24 hours and
constitutes direct communication, just as if it was said in person.
Resources
The
Writing Center offers assistance with writing. The Writing Center is located in APS 301, 503-838-8286, www.wou.edu/las/humanitites/writingctr
The
Academic Advising and Learning Center offers academic tutoring and study skills
assistance. The Academic Advising and Learning Center is located in APS 401,
503-838-8428 phone/TTY or 503-838-8501, www.wou.edu/provost/aalc/learning
The
Technology Resource Center provides technology support and resources to
faculty, staff and students. The
Technology Resource Center is located in ITC 204, 503-838-8965, www.wou.edu/trc
Students
with a documented disability that may require assistance should contact the
Office of Disability Services for coordination of your academic accommodations. The Office of Disability Services is
located in APS 405, phone/TTY is
503-838-8721, www.wou.edu/student/disability
Library
and Media services offers assistance with research and information retrieval.
Ask for assistance at the reference desk in Hamersly Library, phone/TTY
503-838-8418.
Best Effort
In this class the expectation is that everyone is putting
forth their best effort. Examples of ways students put forth best effort
include:
The instructor puts forth best effort also. Examples of this effort include:
Respect
In this class, the expectation is of mutual respect. Western Oregon University is an inclusive community that celebrates
diversity and strives to reflect the diversity of our pluralistic society in
our faculty, staff and students. We do not discriminate on the basis of race,
class, linguistic background, religion, gender identity, sex, sexual
orientation, ethnicity, age, or physical ability. In this class the goal is to establish an environment that
values and nurtures individual and group differences and encourages engagement
and interaction. Understanding and respecting multiple experiences and
perspectives will serve to challenge and stimulate all of us to learn about
others, about the larger world and about ourselves. By promoting diversity and
intellectual exchange, we will not only mirror society as it is, but also model
society as it should and can be.
WOU has a zero tolerance policy regarding sexual
harassment. For more information
go to www.wou.edu/admin/hr/sh_taskforce/index.html.
Communicating respect for others means treating others the way you would like to be treated.
Working to limit or eliminate the following interruptions or distractions is appreciated:
• Turn off your cell phone when you come to class.
• Arrive on time. If unavoidable, enter the room quietly when you are late and take a
seat near the door.
• Exit the room quietly if you must leave early. If you must leave early, please tell your
professor before class.
American Popular Music
Tentative Schedule - subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.
Your primary assignment is
to read the material before it is discussed in class. For up-to-date assignments and course materials –
refer to the website at
www.wou.edu/~harchanj/208AmPop.
Ch.1 – Themes and
Streams of American Popular Music
Ch.2 – Popular Music
of the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries
Ch.3 – Social Dance
and Jazz 1917-1935
Ch.4 – Tin Pan Alley
Week 3 : Building Blocks
of Rock ÔnÕ Roll - Introduction to Blues and Country
Ch. 5 – Race records
and Hillbilly Music
Exam 1: Chapters 1-4
Ch. 6 – Swing
Ch. 7 – Postwar Era
Ch. 8 – Rock ÔnÕ Roll
Exam 2 : Chapters 5-7
Ch. 9 – American Pop
and the British Invasion
Ch. 10 – 1960s
Ch. 11 – 1970s
mainstream
Ch. 12 – 1970s
outsiders
Exam 3 : Chaptes 8-10
Ch. 13 – 1980s
Ch. 14 – Hip-Hop and
Alternative Music
Exam 4 : Chapters 11-14
Ch. 15 - Conclusion