Unit information: Research Skills for Musicians in 2017/18

Unit name	Research Skills for Musicians
Unit code	MUSIM0035
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Kate Guthrie
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of Music
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

This unit will focus on research skills that are particularly relevant to musicians: - handling library collections and archives; - good practice in compiling a bibliography; - oral presentation skills, using Powerpoint. The unit will be taught in a mixture of music-department based classes and more general skills training offered by the Graduate School

Aims:

This unit aims to offer guidelines to research in arts subjects in general, with the addition of methodologies relating specifically to Music.

Intended Learning Outcomes

(1) Successful completion of this unit will enable students to make strategic use of primary and secondary sources, of the most up-to-date research tools and of established research methodologies.

(2) Students should also be in a position to select research topics advisedly and to present research findings in a clear and coherent form.

This module also measures general learning outcomes for the MA in Music as follows:

(3) Demonstrate familiarity with a range of methodologies (including those imported from other disciplines)

(4) Display a sincerity of belief in particular ideas and methodologies, yet retaining a sympathy for and tolerance towards alternatives

(5) Be able to identify subtly different shades of interpretation and display sensitivity towards the consequences of their application

(6) students will demonstrate effective verbal presentation

(7) experience in seeing a project through from conception to planning, blueprint realisation, and execution

Teaching Information

2x2 hour preparatory group seminars; one or more sessions of assessed student presentations (depending on cohort numbers); 2x2 hour “Research Skills for Musicians” seminars provided as part of the graduate school skills training programme; two further sessions from the graduate school skills training programme.

Assessment Information

Assessment is by coursework:

• one bibliography project comprising c. 100 items (set in Week 1) – 50%

• oral presentations pf c. 15-20 minutes in Weeks 10-11 on any aspect of the student’s research – 50%

Reading and References

• V. Duckles and M. Keller: Music reference and research materials: an annotated bibliography (New York, 1988)

• K. L. Turabian: A manual for writers of research papers, theses and dissertations (London, 1982)

• G. Watson: Writing a thesis (London, 1982)