MUSA1320 · Music
Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences
This course provides an introduction to selected musical traditions from around the world, in their cultural contexts. Our main goals are to study the connections between music and other cultural features and institutions, to become familiar with the features of major musical styles from the cultures studied, and with basic concepts in ethnomusicology and comparative musicology. Case studies include Native North and South American; Western, Central, and Southern African; Arabic; Persian; Hindustani; Karnatak; Javanese; and Japanese musics. Musical training and background are not required and are not presumed. Fulfills World Music requirement in Major; fulfills x-cultural requirement in Minor
Course experience
Averages use the original five-point historical evaluation scale.
Organization
4.2 / 5
How well the course was organized
Challenge
4.0 / 5
How intellectually challenging students found it
Attendance
4.3 / 5
How necessary attendance was
Assignments
4.1 / 5
How helpful assignments were
Weekly effort
~3
hours per week
Estimated from the original workload response buckets. Individual sections may differ.
Instructor options
Ratings below reflect only recovered evaluations connected to this course.
Associate Professor, Music Department
3.8 / 5
3.4 / 5
Part Time Faculty, Music Department
4.1 / 5
3.7 / 5
5 evaluations for this course
4.3 / 5
4.2 / 5
Part Time Faculty, Music Department
4.2 / 5
3.8 / 5
Across time
Section-level results available in the recovered archive.
Spring 2025
3 sectionsFall 2024
2 sectionsSpring 2024
3 sectionsFall 2023
3 sectionsSpring 2023
4 sectionsFall 2022
1 sectionSpring 2022
3 sectionsFall 2021
3 sectionsSpring 2021
2 sectionsFall 2020
2 sectionsSpring 2020
3 sections