6 EC
Semester 2, period 5
5244HMWM6Y
Owner | Master Brain and Cognitive Sciences |
Coordinator | prof. dr. Henkjan Honing |
Part of | Master Logic, Master Brain and Cognitive Sciences, year 1 |
[version 20200301]
Why do we have music? Is it mere cultural phenomenon or is music biologically constrained? And if the latter is the case, is it possible to identify which biological and/or cognitive traits make us musical animals?
First and foremost, it is good to realize that we all have a predisposition for music (like we all have a capacity for language), especially when the focus is on perception rather than production. This view is supported by more and more studies, ranging from the pioneering work of developmental psychologists Sandra Trehub and Laurel Trainor (Trainor, 2008; Trehub, 2003) to that of neuroscientists like Isabelle Peretz and Robert Zatorre (Peretz & Coltheart, 2003; Peretz & Zatorre, 2005; Zatorre, 2005), research that suggests that music has an intimate relation with our cognition and underlying biology.
This course discusses recent developments in the research field of music cognition, as well as a potential biological component of our capacity for music. Topics include a) the origins and evolution of musicality, b) the cognition of rhythm and melody, c) musical competence, d) relation between music and nonmusical abilities, and e) the similarities and differences between music and language. The topics might change due to recent developments. All topics are introduced in a two hour lecture, followed by a seminar in which each week at least two (recent) papers will be discussed. For this the students are asked to bring in issues for a plenary discussion and/or prepare position statements. The course is closed with an essay that elaborates on one of the topics that were discussed in the course.
N.B. Students are expected to be familiar with the main terminology of music and music cognition research. Those that unfamiliar with music or the field of music cognition are advised to read:
Course will be based on: Honing, H. (ed.) (2018). The Origins of Musicality. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press .
See for additional information http://www.mcg.uva.nl
Honing, H. (ed.) (2018). The Origins of Musicality. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press ; Additional literature papers provided via Canvas
Seminar, (guest) lectures.
Activity | Number of hours |
Zelfstudie | 168 |
Requirements of the programme concerning attendance (OER-B):
Item and weight | Details |
Final grade | |
3.33% Assignment 1 | |
3.33% Assignment 2 | |
3.3% Assignment 3 | |
3.33% Assignment 4 | |
3.33% Assignment 5 | |
50% Final Essay | Must be ≥ 5.5 |
3.38% Pitch video for final essay (Assignment 6) | |
10% Take Home Exam | |
15% Workgroup Presentation | |
5% Workgroup Reviews |
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
This is a tentative schedule. Please note that this plan is subject to change.
Day | Type | Content | Teacher |
Tue April 2, 2019 | Lecture | Introduction: Musical Building Blocks & Music Perception; Thompson, Chapters 3 & 4. | Prof. dr Henkjan Honing (HH) & dr Makiko Sadakata (MS) |
Tue April 9 | Lecture | Topic 1: The Origins of Musicality, Ch. 1. | HH |
Thu April 11 | Workgroup | Introduction to Workgroup structure | MS |
Tue April 16 | Lecture | Topic 2: Origins, Principles, & Constraints; Ch. 2, 3 & 5 | HH |
Tue April 23 | Lecture | Topic 3: Formal Structure Ch. 11 | Bas Cornelissen MSc (BC) |
Thu April 25 | Workgroup | Student lecture 1 | MS |
Tue April 30 | Lecture |
Topic 4: Melody, Timbre Ch. 7 [optional: Honing (2019:75-91)].
|
HH |
Thu May 2 | Workgroup | Student lecture 2 | MS |
Tue May 7 | Lecture | Topic 5: Cross-Species Studies; Ch. 8 [optional: recent paper]. | HH |
Thu May 9 | Workgroup | Student lecture 3 | MS |
Tue May 14 | Lecture | Topic 6: Cross-Cultural & Cross-domain Studies; Ch. 6 & 9. | HH |
Thu May 16 | Workgroup | Student lecture 4 | MS |
Thu May 23 | Lecture | Topic 7: Musicality & Genetics; Ch. 10. | HH |
The schedule for this course is published on DataNose.
Course uses Blackboard for all info, studymaterial, assignments, etc.
In order to provide students some insight how we use the feedback of student evaluations to enhance the quality of education, we decided to include the table below in all course guides.
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