Area Studies in Ethnomusicology (MUSI20218)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5Not available in 2025
About this subject
Overview
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This subject surveys traditional, art, and popular music-making in one major ethnographic region. Students learn how local musicians and listeners discuss, make, and assign value to different musical styles, while also exploring how these styles influence local society.
Subject themes such as the relationship of music to gender, race, social class, and age, as well as the impact of globalisation, colonialism, technology, and / or capitalism on music-making in the region may be considered. The subject is especially designed for students considering honours or graduate research in music, as well as students in anthropology, sociology, and cultural studies.
The specific region may be the following “The Middle East,” “Latin America,” “The African Diaspora,” “Oceania,” “Eastern Europe and Eurasia,” “East Asia,” “Southeast Asia,” “The Balkans,” etc., as announced in advance.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- use local specialised vocabulary for describing the fundamentals of music-making in specific cultural contexts;
- articulate how political, economic, and cultural contexts shape music-making in one major area;
- identify major approaches and research questions pertinent to music, culture, and identity in one major area.
Generic skills
On completion of this subject, students should have:
- a capacity for independent critical thought about music outside the Western art and commercial music traditions;
- an openness to new ideas about music;
- knowledge and skills which provide a basis for independent critical inquiry and research‐based writing about music;
- an informed understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity.
Last updated: 4 March 2025