How Music Works: Music Cognition

6 EC

Semester 1, period 2

5244HMWM6Y

Owner Master Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Coordinator dr. J.A. Burgoyne
Part of Master Logic, Master Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Master Logic, track Logic and Computation, Master Logic, track Logic and Philosophy, Master Logic, track Logic and Language, Master Logic, track Logic and Mathematics,

Course manual 2025/2026

Course content

Research shows that all humans have a predisposition for music, just as they do for language. All of us can perceive and enjoy music, even if we can’t carry a tune and consider ourselves ‘unmusical’. This course offers interdisciplinary perspectives on the capacity to perceive, appreciate, and make music. A wide range of studies from biology, musicology, (cognitive) neuroscience, philosophy of science, genetics, computer science, psychology, and other fields consider what music is for and why every human culture has it, whether musicality is a uniquely human capacity, and what biological and cognitive mechanisms underlie it.

Each week focusses on a new topic. All topics are introduced in a two-hour lecture, followed by workgroups later in the week during which students discuss recent papers related to the topic. Some of the papers are common for all students, which we will prepare using Perusall. Each student will also choose one topic for which they will present an extra paper to further discussion, using the Pecha Kucha format.

The course closes with an essay elaborating on one of the key research questions. The core idea of the essay is that it could be read as advice for a future research agenda in music cognition or AI.

Study materials

Literature

  • Articles supplied via Canvas

Objectives

  • Compare the aims, methods and recent results in the fields of music cognition and music AI.
  • Critically assess current debates in music cognition and music AI
  • Contribute to the future empirical music research agenda

Teaching methods

  • Lecture
  • Seminar
  • Self-study
  • Presentation/symposium

Learning activities

Activity

Number of hours

Lecture

14

Workgroup

14

Perusall

40

Self-study

100

Attendance

  • Some course components require compulsory attendance. If compulsory attendance applies, this will be indicated in the Course Catalogue which can be consulted via the UvA-website. The rationale for and implementation of this compulsory attendance may vary per course and, if applicable, is included in the Course Manual.

    • Additional requirements for this course:

    Students are expected to maintain 90% attendance (i.e., only one absence is allowed).

    Assessment

    Item and weight Details

    Final grade

    Fraud and plagiarism

    The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

    Contact information

    Coordinator

    • dr. J.A. Burgoyne