Studying online (if an online offering is shown below)
There are now 2 possible online modes for units:
Units with modes Online timetabled and Online flexible are available for any student to self-enrol and study online.
Click on an offering mode for more details.
Unit Overview
- Description
This unit is designed to leverage the specialist skills and knowledge from existing and visiting academic staff, and the content and delivery style will therefore change every semester. The unit will usually have a different topic focus delivered - e.g. based upon a composer, or a style of music, or historical events, or new research within a specific field. The topic focus will be advertised before each semester to enable students to decide whether the topic focus aligns with their interests and/or specialisation.
The unit will typically engage with theoretical, historical, and practical elements related to the topic. Three hypothetical examples may indicate the flexibility of this unit:
1. a topic focussed upon a Parisian nineteenth-century female composer-pianist may investigate social norms within Parisian society, the role of salons, their influence upon the development of keyboard instruments, aspects of musical scholarship and criticism, musical elements relating to rubato, dynamics, pedaling, typesetting and engraving.
2. a topic focussed upon research in music technologies and focus upon a case study of the technology, the product development cycle, the role of business and marketing, the process of testing with musicians.
3. a topic focussed upon scholarship in a specific performance practice may incorporate theoretical knowledge, critical exploration of key texts, development of performance materials (e.g. printed scores), and a performance project.
- Credit
- 6 points
- Offering
Availability Location Mode Not available in 2025 UWA (Perth) Face to face - Details for undergraduate courses
- Level 3 option in the Music major sequence
- Level 3 elective
- Outcomes
Students are able to (1) critically review key concepts related to the study of music, society and ideas; (2) apply conceptual knowledge to the interpretation of musical meaning and contexts; (3) demonstrate advanced skills in critical reading and communication; and (4) demonstrate creativity and research skills.
- Assessment
Indicative assessments in this unit are as follows: (1) portfolio and (2) tests. Further information is available in the unit outline.
Student may be offered supplementary assessment in this unit if they meet the eligibility criteria.
- Unit Coordinator(s)
- Dr Cecilia Sun
- Unit rules
- Prerequisites
- any MUSC Level 2 unit
- Contact hours
- seminars and tutorials: 3 hours per week
- The availability of units in Semester 1, 2, etc. was correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change.
- All students are responsible for identifying when they need assistance to improve their academic learning, research, English language and numeracy skills; seeking out the services and resources available to help them; and applying what they learn. Students are encouraged to register for free online support through GETSmart; to help themselves to the extensive range of resources on UWA's STUDYSmarter website; and to participate in WRITESmart and (ma+hs)Smart drop-ins and workshops.
- Visit the Essential Textbooks website to see if any textbooks are required for this Unit. The website is updated regularly so content may change. Students are recommended to purchase Essential Textbooks, but a limited number of copies of all Essential Textbooks are held in the Library in print, and as an ebook where possible. Recommended readings for the unit can be accessed in Unit Readings directly through the Learning Management System (LMS).
- Contact hours provide an indication of the type and extent of in-class activities this unit may contain. The total amount of student work (including contact hours, assessment time, and self-study) will approximate 150 hours per 6 credit points.
Face to face
Predominantly face-to-face. On campus attendance required to complete this unit. May have accompanying resources online.
Online flexible
100% Online Unit. NO campus face-to-face attendance is required to complete this unit. All study requirements are online only. Unit is asynchronous delivery, with NO requirement for students to participate online at specific times.
Online timetabled
100% Online Unit. NO campus face-to-face attendance is required to complete this unit. All study requirements are online only. Unit includes some synchronous components, with a requirement for students to participate online at specific times.
Online Restricted
Not available for self-enrolment. Students access this mode by contacting their student office through AskUWA. 100% Online Unit.
NO campus face-to-face attendance. All study and assessment requirements are online only. Unit includes some timetabled activities, with a requirement for students to participate online at specific times. In exceptional cases (noted in the Handbook) students may be required to participate in face-to-face laboratory classes when a return to UWA’s Crawley campus becomes possible in order to be awarded a final grade.
External
No attendance or regular contact is required, and all study requirements are completed either via correspondence and/or online submission.
Off-campus
Regular attendance is not required, but student attends the institution face to face on an agreed schedule for purposes of supervision and/or instruction.
Multi-mode
Multiple modes of delivery. Unit includes a mix of online and on-campus study requirements. On campus attendance for some activities is required to complete this unit.