University of Sydney Handbooks - 2021 Archive

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Research units of study

The University of Sydney introduced a new coursework requirement for Higher Degree by Research students commencing from Research Period 1 2021.

Coursework is intended to give students the opportunity to take units of study that expand their existing skills or work toward developing novel capabilities that will complement their research and career development.

Units of study students can choose to fulfil the Higher Degree by Research coursework requirement are listed in Table R of the Interdisciplinary Studies Handbook.

Students can enrol in units of study in Sydney Student and plan professional and academic development activities with their supervisors in the Research Education Candidature System. Award requirements for each degree are outlined in the respective course resolutions.

Unit of study Credit points A: Assumed knowledge P: Prerequisites C: Corequisites N: Prohibition Session

Research

Master of Music

The Master of Music is offered in Composition, Music Education, Musicology and Performance

Composition and Performance Core Units of study

MCGY5111
Creative Work Seminar 1
6    A Students enrolling in this unit of study are expected to have developed musical and technical skills to be able to present creative works pertinent to their research. Students should have received research training commensurate with an undergraduate Honours degree or equivalent.
Semester 1
Semester 2
MCGY5112
Creative Work Seminar 2
6    A Students enrolling in this unit of study are expected to have developed musical and technical skills to be able to present creative works pertinent to their research.
P MCGY5111
Semester 1
Semester 2

Doctor of Musical Arts

Core units of study

MCGY5111
Creative Work Seminar 1
6    A Students enrolling in this unit of study are expected to have developed musical and technical skills to be able to present creative works pertinent to their research. Students should have received research training commensurate with an undergraduate Honours degree or equivalent.
Semester 1
Semester 2
MCGY5112
Creative Work Seminar 2
6    A Students enrolling in this unit of study are expected to have developed musical and technical skills to be able to present creative works pertinent to their research.
P MCGY5111
Semester 1
Semester 2

Elective Units

CMPN5006
Recording Portfolio
6      Semester 1
CMPN5012
Graduate Composer Performer Workshop
6      Semester 1
Semester 2
CMPN5114
Graduate Vocal Composition Workshop
6      Semester 2
EMUS5600
Historical Performance Practice
6    P MCGY5610
Semester 2
MCGY5111
Creative Work Seminar 1
6    A Students enrolling in this unit of study are expected to have developed musical and technical skills to be able to present creative works pertinent to their research. Students should have received research training commensurate with an undergraduate Honours degree or equivalent.
Semester 1
Semester 2
MCGY5112
Creative Work Seminar 2
6    A Students enrolling in this unit of study are expected to have developed musical and technical skills to be able to present creative works pertinent to their research.
P MCGY5111
Semester 1
Semester 2
MCGY5600
Critical Discourses in Music

This unit of study is not available in 2021

6    A Because of the difficulty of the material, fluency in written and spoken English is required, and general familiarity with academic discourse about Western Art Music will be assumed.
Semester 1
MCGY5601
Music Through Ethnography

This unit of study is not available in 2021

6      Semester 1
MCGY5602
Opera and Society
6      Semester 1
MCGY5603
Music as Social Science
6      Semester 1
MCGY5604
Researching Creative Process
6      Semester 2
MCGY5605
Methods of Music Analysis
6    A Traditional chordal nomenclature (e.g. roman numeral and figured bass) and standard methods of analysing Western Art Music will be assumed.
Semester 1
MUSC5600
Wagner and Critical Thought

This unit of study is not available in 2021

6      Semester 2
PERF5600
Graduate Research Methods
6    N MCGY5111 and MCGY5112
Semester 1
Semester 2
PERF5610
Arts and Creative Industries Placement
6   
Note: Department permission required for enrolment

Semester 2
VSAO5022
Principles of Studio Pedagogy
6      Semester 2

Descriptions

Research

Master of Music

The Master of Music is offered in Composition, Music Education, Musicology and Performance

Composition and Performance Core Units of study

MCGY5111 Creative Work Seminar 1

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Professor Helen Mitchell Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Assumed knowledge: Students enrolling in this unit of study are expected to have developed musical and technical skills to be able to present creative works pertinent to their research. Students should have received research training commensurate with an undergraduate Honours degree or equivalent. Assessment: 2 x presentations, class participation, 1 x creative work presentation. Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This Unit of Study offers students a scaffolded experience that will help them to develop research skills and ability to embed, articulate and demonstrate research through and in the form of a research performance or composition. This would normally be composition or performance-based research output related to the student's overarching research topic. Following the project's development through the semester, the student will present the work undertaken in an appropriate format at the end of semester for formative feedback. Students will attend the weekly multidisciplinary Creative Work Seminar which will provide regular opportunities to present creative work research and to explore and hone presentation skills.
MCGY5112 Creative Work Seminar 2

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Professor Helen Mitchell Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 1 x 2hr seminar/week Prerequisites: MCGY5111 Assumed knowledge: Students enrolling in this unit of study are expected to have developed musical and technical skills to be able to present creative works pertinent to their research. Assessment: 2 x presentations, class participation, 1 x creative work presentation. Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This Unit of Study offers students a scaffolded experience that will help them to develop research skills and ability to embed, articulate and demonstrate research through and in the form of a research performance or composition. This would normally be composition or performance-based research output related to the student's overarching research topic. Following the project's development through the semester, the student will present the work undertaken in an appropriate format at the end of semester for formative feedback. Students will attend the weekly multidisciplinary Creative Work Seminar which will provide regular opportunities to present creative work research and to explore and hone presentation skills.

Doctor of Musical Arts

Core units of study

MCGY5111 Creative Work Seminar 1

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Professor Helen Mitchell Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Assumed knowledge: Students enrolling in this unit of study are expected to have developed musical and technical skills to be able to present creative works pertinent to their research. Students should have received research training commensurate with an undergraduate Honours degree or equivalent. Assessment: 2 x presentations, class participation, 1 x creative work presentation. Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This Unit of Study offers students a scaffolded experience that will help them to develop research skills and ability to embed, articulate and demonstrate research through and in the form of a research performance or composition. This would normally be composition or performance-based research output related to the student's overarching research topic. Following the project's development through the semester, the student will present the work undertaken in an appropriate format at the end of semester for formative feedback. Students will attend the weekly multidisciplinary Creative Work Seminar which will provide regular opportunities to present creative work research and to explore and hone presentation skills.
MCGY5112 Creative Work Seminar 2

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Professor Helen Mitchell Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 1 x 2hr seminar/week Prerequisites: MCGY5111 Assumed knowledge: Students enrolling in this unit of study are expected to have developed musical and technical skills to be able to present creative works pertinent to their research. Assessment: 2 x presentations, class participation, 1 x creative work presentation. Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This Unit of Study offers students a scaffolded experience that will help them to develop research skills and ability to embed, articulate and demonstrate research through and in the form of a research performance or composition. This would normally be composition or performance-based research output related to the student's overarching research topic. Following the project's development through the semester, the student will present the work undertaken in an appropriate format at the end of semester for formative feedback. Students will attend the weekly multidisciplinary Creative Work Seminar which will provide regular opportunities to present creative work research and to explore and hone presentation skills.

Elective Units

CMPN5006 Recording Portfolio

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Ivan Zavada Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1 x 2 hours class/week Assessment: Portfolio proposal (10%), Short class presentation and progress report (30%), Recording portfolio (60%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit provides a practical overview of the sound recording process. Aspects of creative production are examined alongside project planning, management and the professional delivery of master recordings to professional standards. Students will gain insight into the recording process through practical recording projects taking advantage of the concert venues and studios and will integrate into the existing musical activities that occur at the Conservatorium
CMPN5012 Graduate Composer Performer Workshop

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Assoc Prof Michael Smetanin Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 1 x 2hr workshop/week Assessment: 1 x 3.5-4min presentation (70%), participation and scores (30%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The Graduate Composer Performer Workshop provides both composers and performers with the opportunity to work together in the performance and development of new and experimental works each semester.
CMPN5114 Graduate Vocal Composition Workshop

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Paul Stanhope Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1 x 2hr lecture/seminar per fortnight, 1 x 8hr workshop in special projects week only Assessment: 1 x major composition work to the equivalent of 2500wds (40%), 2 x minor composition works to the equivalent of 1250wds (20%), overall class contributions (15%), 1 x 1500wd essay (25%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Vocal ensembles and choirs have become an important part of Australian musical fabric, from community-based groups through to professional a cappella ensembles. This seminar aims to provide necessary skills and experiences in composing for groups of voices in an experiential learning environment. Students workshop their compositions in class, gain experience in text-setting, experiment in extended techniques. Classes focus on the literary nature of the form and analyse relevant historical examples and techniques from a diverse range of styles. Students will be able to take these skills developed in this course into future professional situations as both composers and performers.
EMUS5600 Historical Performance Practice

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Professor Neal Peres Da Costa Session: Semester 2 Classes: 2hr/week Prerequisites: MCGY5610 Assessment: Attendance and class participation (20%), Short class presentation (20%), Lecture/Demonstration (40%), Written work (based on Lecture/Demonstration-3,000 words) (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This course examines historical performing practices up to the present day aiming to widen understanding of the extent to which musical notation and written evidence preserve the performing practices of past eras. The wealth of sound recordings from the turn of the twentieth century provides a window into the near past. Issues to explore include: sound production (vibrato, non-vibrato and portamento in the case of string and wind playing and singing), expressive keyboard techniques (manual asynchrony and arpeggiation), and more general issues such as tempo rubato, tempo modification, ornamentation, articulation, and phrasing. The course will introduce students to varying performance styles, some of which are no longer generally in fashion, increasing the palette of musical choices and solutions and increasing the dimensions of understanding of specific repertoire.
MCGY5111 Creative Work Seminar 1

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Professor Helen Mitchell Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Assumed knowledge: Students enrolling in this unit of study are expected to have developed musical and technical skills to be able to present creative works pertinent to their research. Students should have received research training commensurate with an undergraduate Honours degree or equivalent. Assessment: 2 x presentations, class participation, 1 x creative work presentation. Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This Unit of Study offers students a scaffolded experience that will help them to develop research skills and ability to embed, articulate and demonstrate research through and in the form of a research performance or composition. This would normally be composition or performance-based research output related to the student's overarching research topic. Following the project's development through the semester, the student will present the work undertaken in an appropriate format at the end of semester for formative feedback. Students will attend the weekly multidisciplinary Creative Work Seminar which will provide regular opportunities to present creative work research and to explore and hone presentation skills.
MCGY5112 Creative Work Seminar 2

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Professor Helen Mitchell Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 1 x 2hr seminar/week Prerequisites: MCGY5111 Assumed knowledge: Students enrolling in this unit of study are expected to have developed musical and technical skills to be able to present creative works pertinent to their research. Assessment: 2 x presentations, class participation, 1 x creative work presentation. Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This Unit of Study offers students a scaffolded experience that will help them to develop research skills and ability to embed, articulate and demonstrate research through and in the form of a research performance or composition. This would normally be composition or performance-based research output related to the student's overarching research topic. Following the project's development through the semester, the student will present the work undertaken in an appropriate format at the end of semester for formative feedback. Students will attend the weekly multidisciplinary Creative Work Seminar which will provide regular opportunities to present creative work research and to explore and hone presentation skills.
MCGY5600 Critical Discourses in Music

This unit of study is not available in 2021

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr David Larkin Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1 x 2hr seminar/week Assumed knowledge: Because of the difficulty of the material, fluency in written and spoken English is required, and general familiarity with academic discourse about Western Art Music will be assumed. Assessment: 8 x summaries of readings (40%), 2 x critical evaluations of readings (20%), 1 x research essay (40%). Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit explores some of the most important theories on music and culture. It will introduce students to scholarly discourses and critical thinking potentially relevant to their own research. It will address questions such as what are we doing when we analyse music; how does our view of history shape our hearing and understanding; does music articulate collective human experience; etc. Topics covered include historiography, memory, musical analysis, semiotics, narrative theory, gender and sexuality, national identity, genre theory and hermeneutics.
MCGY5601 Music Through Ethnography

This unit of study is not available in 2021

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Michael Webb Session: Semester 1 Classes: 2 x 2hrs per week Assessment: Written reports (30%); music transcriptions (10%); Analyses (15%); ethnographic interview (15%); Short field recording (10%); summary reflection/projection (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
As an analytical method, ethnography concentrates on the experience of life as it is lived. Following the development of the fieldwork-based discipline of ethnomusicology, ethnographic approaches to music have come to examine: historical and archival data, objects and artefacts in collections, cyber networks, digital communications, and medical and therapeutic understandings of sound, among other aspects of everyday life. This unit of study engages ethnographic methodologies to examine the myriad ways music informs and enriches people's lives and contributes to defining how humans flourish in their natural, social and cultural environments.
MCGY5602 Opera and Society

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Alan Maddox Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1 x 2 hour seminar per week Assessment: Class Presentation (20%); Critical Evaluation of Readings (30%); Essay (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Opera has a unique capacity to capture the imagination by grappling with enduring cultural and social concerns. This graduate seminar examines opera's engagement with themes including politics, history, myth, sexuality, national identity, popular culture, film, otherness, social class and power, religion, and the supernatural. Selected operas engaging with these themes will form the basis of each weekly session. Students can then choose to focus on a selected area, or choose to offer a broader perspective for assessment.
MCGY5603 Music as Social Science

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Alan Maddox Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1 x 2hr lecture per week Assessment: Readings and Class Discussions (20%); Research Method Design and Pilot (20%); Poster Presentation (20%); Written Report (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Empirical research in music performance employs a variety of innovative methods to investigate music teaching, performing and perception. Knowledge of current areas of research and the techniques used to investigate them is relevant to all music researchers. This unit of study will focus on recent social science methods to investigate music practice with an emphasis on musically and pedagogically driven research. Students will be introduced to different types of experimental study designs, methods of data capture, perceptual and acoustic techniques and acquire new skills and knowledge to approach interdisciplinary studies in music performance.
MCGY5604 Researching Creative Process

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Christopher Coady Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1 x 2hr seminar per week Assessment: Tutorial Participation/Demonstrated Knowledge of Required Reading (20%); Seminar Presentations (30%); Essay (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study aims to provide students with an overview of the intellectual and methodological trends underpinning artistic research in music - a field composed of both practice-based and practice-led research projects. Participating in this course will enable students to participate productively in artistic research by increasing their familiarity with current debates surrounding research integrity, the strengths and weaknesses of various methodological approaches and the narrative strategies artists employ in order to demonstrate research significance to a spectrum of stakeholders.
MCGY5605 Methods of Music Analysis

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr David Larkin Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1 x 2 hour seminar per week Assumed knowledge: Traditional chordal nomenclature (e.g. roman numeral and figured bass) and standard methods of analysing Western Art Music will be assumed. Assessment: Analysis portfolio (60%), Research essay 2, 000 words (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit is designed to introduce students to the current state of music analysis, and to enable them to develop expertise in analytical methodologies relevant to their research interests. A range of analytical approaches to Western Art Music 1700-1945 will be explored in the seminars, including Formenlehre theories and their recent offshoot, 'deformation' theory; nineteenth-century chromatic harmony and Neo-Riemannian approaches; set-theoretical analyses of post-tonal music; and semiotic or narrative approaches which relate analysis to humanistic inquiries. The focus of the unit will be balanced between theoretical exposition of the principles involved, and practical applications of the various methods to relevant repertoire.
MUSC5600 Wagner and Critical Thought

This unit of study is not available in 2021

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr David Larkin Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1 x 2hr seminar/week Assessment: 1 x 3000wd research essay (50%), 1 x 15min presentation (20%), 2 x reading responses (20%), overall seminar participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The number of eminent thinkers and artists who have engaged seriously with Wagner's art has no parallel in the field of music. In this unit we will scrutinise those aspects of his art and thought which provoked such strong reactions, by looking at critical responses from figures as divergent as Baudelaire, Mann, Adorno and Zizek (to name but a few of those to be studied). By looking at what made his dramas so rich and provocative, students will come to see how music can be situated within various humanistic and political discourses, while still capable of providing pure escapist pleasure.
PERF5600 Graduate Research Methods

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Professor Helen Mitchell Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 2-hour seminar/week or equivalent Prohibitions: MCGY5111 and MCGY5112 Assessment: Assignments include research statement, literature review, seminar/poster presentation and, written project proposal (or other written task agreed with lecturer) (100%). Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This course is designed to prepare students for undertaking their own research projects in music. It will introduce and develop students' awareness of recent musical scholarship and research methodologies and equip students with skills to design and conduct research across a wide variety of musical topics. Students will begin exploration of the topic area that is the intended focus for their research during their degree. Students will situate their performance/composition research in the current field and present their research proposals to students and staff for discussion.
PERF5610 Arts and Creative Industries Placement

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Associate Professor Jennifer Rowley Session: Semester 2 Classes: 3 x 1hr seminar/semester Assessment: 1 x portfolio to the equivalent of 4000wds (50%), 1 x portfolio presentation (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
The postgraduate Arts and Creative Industries Placment allows students to undertake a professional practice internship placement (including regional conservatoriums) within a music focused creative industry context. Students preparing for a career in composition, performance, arts administration, music education, historical studies etc. are afforded the opportunity to apply their advanced musical knowledge to the broader creative industries music community. They will undertake a specially designed internship placement (designed by themselves or the host) in an arts based organisation and/or 'buddy' Pulley program in one or more of the seventeen NSW regional Conservatoriums with the purpose of extending their current professional practice. The goal of the unit is for students to extend their knowledge of the arts and creative industries sector combined with a knowledge and understanding of WiL through the internship placement. Students will extend their collaborative skills and techniques for working in a teamwork setting using knowledge and skills learnt as graduates.
VSAO5022 Principles of Studio Pedagogy

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Professor Jennifer Rowley Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1 x 2 hour seminar per week Assessment: Oral presentation and case study report 40%, 2000 word critical analysis of required reading and reflection essay 40%, Portfolio task for professional practice 20% Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The unit promotes dialogue across teaching specialisations and focuses on three broad areas related to studio pedagogy. First, aspects of educational psychology, such as the cognition, motivation, and self-regulation will be examined within a developmental context. Second, the psychology of music learning and teaching will be applied to the development of musical performance and perceptual skills. Third, research on effective teaching within and beyond the music studio will be addressed, including aspects of cultural context, curriculum, and assessment. A critical engagement in a range of research literature and scholarly writing skills are developed throughout the unit of study. Online reading and research tasks through the LMS will be a part of this unit in preparation for students' creating an electronic portfolio development which may include enhancing an existing website. A practical implementation of pedagogical principles is practised through peer-teaching. Expert studio pedagogues from a variety of instrumental disciplines share their principles and practices in seminar classes.