MUSIC 528B

Research and Bibliography in Music

Spring Semester 2016, weeks 9-16 (Section B2)

Time and place: Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:30am-10:50am, Room

0360
Instructor: Dr Christina Bashford
Contact details: bashford@illinois.edu.
Office hour: Mondays, 11:30am to 12:30pm in MB Room 3022

Course description: MUS 528B is an 8-week course designed to

assist DMA students with preparing the doctoral research project
proposal (the document that they will present in their Preliminary
Examination). The class is taken in the students last semester of
coursework. Enrolment for this course is intentionally kept small.
Permission to register will occur only once the instructor has
approved the topic and is satisfied that the research project is at an
adequate level of preparation.

The class provides hands-on training in research and writing, and it

particularly supports the preparation of the doctoral research project
proposal. Students undertake a series of homework assignments
which will feed into their proposals. There is a substantial amount of
class discussion and peer review of student work. Students are
encouraged to keep in contact with their Research Director during the
course, for focused feedback. By the end of the class, students
are expected to produce a highly developed draft of the
proposal.
**************

Critical resources
1)Reading materials, instructions for homework assignments, and
other announcements will be available on the Illinois compass:
https://compass2g.illinois.edu Bookmark this site and check it
regularly, and always the day before class sessions.

2) Section IV.K (pp.39-42) of the Graduate Handbook of the School of

Music (2015-16) on the Research Proposal. Available on the Graduate
Resources page of our website at
http://illinois.edu/cms/1717/graduatehandbook2015_final.pdf

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Formal course requirements

Your assessed work is divided up and weighted as follows:
1
 1. Homework assignments 15%
2. Class participation and attendance 15%
3. Draft research proposal 70%

Detailed requirements:

1. Homework assignments. There will be a series of homework

assignments, from week to week, which will inform class
content and discussion. I shall post instructions for these
assignments on Compass2g by the date noted in the Weekly
Timetable. Please submit your Homeworks in both printed form
and as an electronic document (to be sent by email to
bashford@illinois.edu).

2. Class participation and attendance. This is a compulsory course

and attendance at all sessions is assumed; regarding absences
please see the rules in section 5 (Class Policies) below. The
class is held in a seminar setting, so the expectation is that you
will contribute to the class discussion, reporting on your project,
posing questions to other students, offering and qualifying your
opinions, and so on. Some class sessions are specifically geared
toward discussion. There will also be class activities in small
groups, including peer reading and reviewing of material.

Your contribution to all these activities will be taken into

account when I assign the final grade. Students who contribute
positively will raise their grade for this part of the course
considerably. Conversely, a class member who disengages from
these processes or detracts from the learning experience of
others (e.g. by arriving late, speaking while someone else is
talking, and so on), will lower his/her grade proportionately.

3. Draft research proposal: At the end of the course you will

present a draft proposal for your doctoral research project,
deriving from and building on homework assignments. It will be
created in accordance with the School of Musics Graduate
Handbook guidelines on DMA proposals. It should include an
adequate exposition of your topic, your research question and
its significance & originality, as well as your chosen
methodology and sources. A literature survey and critical
evaluation of materials should also be part of this, as well as a

2
 bibliography. The proposal should be presented in accordance
with standard academic style. A high standard of writing is also
expected. Aim for between 12 and 15 double-spaced pages,
excluding bibliography. A first draft of this document will be
presented as Homework 6 and reviewed by peers in class, and
by the instructor.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
2. Weekly timetable (provisional), with homework deadlines
indicated

Week 1 Monday March 14 (session 1a)

Introduction to the course. Doctoral projects and the
process leading to eventual graduation (committees,
exams, research and writing). Requirements for the
Research Proposal: examples and expectations. Writing
the Statement of Purpose.
Homeworks 1 and 2 announced.

Week 1 Wednesday March 16 (session 1b)

Research topics. Finding new sources. Refreshing
Advanced Bibliographic Skills (with Kirstin Dougan)

Week 2 Spring Break students work on Homeworks 1 and 2

Week 3 Monday March 28 (session 2b)

What does a DMA paper look like? Discussion and Review
of Options 1, 2 and 3
Homework 1: DMA Paper Review due!

Week 3 Wednesday March 30 (session 3a)

Towards the Literature Review; Articulating Research
Objectives and Gap.
Writing Project Background.
Homework 2: Expanded Bibliography & Statement of
Purpose due! Homework 3 announced.

Week 4 Monday April 4 (session 4a)

Constructing Research Questions. Articulating
Methodology and Sources.
Homework 4 announced.

Week 4 Wednesday April 6 (session 4a)

3
 Relationship of recital or lecture-recitals to research
project. Guest presentation by Dr Charlotte Mattax.

Week 5 Monday April 11 (session 5a)

Timeline and Chapter Plan. Advice from an Illinois DMA:
Guest Dr Angela Tammen.
Homework 3: Literature Review and Gap due!

Week 5 Wednesday April 13 (session 5b)

Peer discussion of, and feedback on, Homework 4.
Homework 4: Project Background + Research
Objectives, Questions and Methodology due!

Week 6 Monday April 18 (session 6a)

Feedback lab on Homework 3. Using your Research
Director. Assignments for Peer Reading sessions in weeks
7 and 8.
Homeworks 5 and 6 announced.

Week 6b Wednesday April 20 (session 6b)

Working with primary sources and human subjects; other
topics TBD.
Homework 5: Research Director and Committee
statement due!

Week 7a Monday April 25

No class or office hours: instructor meetings one-on-one
will be scheduled during the week. Students should work
on Homework 6 during the class-time.

Week 7b Wednesday April 27

Peer reading/discussion groups for research proposals:
students in Group 1 present. All students attend.
Homework 6: Working Draft due from Group 1
Students!

Week 8a Monday May 2

Peer reading/discussion groups for research proposals:
students in Group 2
present. All students attend.
Homework 6: Working Draft due from Group 2
Students!

4
Week 8b Wednesday May 4
Peer reading/discussion groups for research proposals:
students in Group 3; present. All students attend. Final
roundup
Homework 6: Working Draft due from Group 3
Students!

Week 9 Friday May 13 at 11am: Final Draft due! Please

leave hard copy in my
mailbox

4. Helpful Resources
(i) Guides to Research (general)
Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb and Joseph M. Williams. The
Craft of Research.
Chicago and London: Chicago University Press, 2003
[Q180.55.M4 B662003 On
reserve. Also copy in MPAL Reference section]

(ii) Guides to Music Research

Bayne, Pauline Shaw. A Guide to Library Research in Music. Lanham,
MD: Scarecrow
Press, 2008. [ML 3797 B29G8 On reserve. Also copy in MPAL
Reference section]

Crabtree, Philip D., and Donald H. Foster: Sourcebook for Research in

Music. 2nd ed.
Bloomington: Indiana University Press, c2005. [ML113
C72S62005 Shelved in
MPAL Reference section]

Gottlieb, Jane. Music Library and Research Skills. Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson
Education, 2009. [ML 3797 G68M8 On reserve. Also copy in
MPAL Reference
section]

Sampsel, Laurie J. Music Research: A Handbook. New York: Oxford

University Press,
2009. [ML113 S28M8 On reserve. Also copy in MPAL Reference
section]

Wingell, Richard J., and Sylvia Herzog. Introduction to Research in

Music. Upper Saddle

5
 River, NJ: Prentice Hall, c2001. [MT W5615 On reserve. Also
copy in MPAL Reference section]

(iii) Writing (general)

Turabian, Kate. A Manual for Writers of Papers, Theses, and
Dissertations. 6th ed.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. [LB2369T87
M21996 Shelved in MPAL Reference section]

Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition: available online. Links and help
are here
http://www.library.illinois.edu/learn/research/citation/chicago.html

(iv) Writing about Music

Bellman, Jonathan. A Short Guide to Writing about Music. New York:
Longman, c2000.
[ ML3797 B44S5 On reserve; also a copy shelved in MPAL
Reference section]

Cowdery, James R., ed. How to Write about Music: The RILM Manual
of Style. New
York: RILM, 2005. [ML3797 H694 On reserve; also a copy in
MPAL Reference section]

Herbert, Trevor. Music in Words: A Guide to Researching and Writing

about Music.
London: Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music
(Publishing), 2001. [ML3797 H467M8 On reserve; also a copy in
MPAL Reference section]

Wingell, Richard J. Writing about Music: an Introductory Guide, 3rd ed.

Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice Hall, c2002. [ML3797 W56W72002 In MPAL
Reference section]

International Students: If you are a non-native speaker and need

help with writing, check out the possibilities for getting additional
help on campus from one of these sources:

Writers Workshop http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/

Private Tutors
http://www.linguistics.illinois.edu/students/esl/AboutTutors.html
ESL Courses http://www.linguistics.illinois.edu/students/esl/

6
5 Class Policies

Attendance/absence rules as follows: Attendance and participation

in the sessions (especially the peer review classes) is compulsory.
Excused absences are permitted for serious illness or personal
circumstances and should be accompanied by prompt
documentation/notification.
Students are permitted one excused absence for travel, gigs etc.
during the semester without it affecting their overall grade for this
part of the course. Thereafter, all such absences will be considered
unexcused and a 2-point deduction will be implemented per absence.
More than two unexcused absences will be cause to fail the class.
In the case of all absences please notify me out of courtesy, by
email or equivalent, ahead of the class session.

Grading. You will receive a letter grade and percentage indication for
your work. The following grade/percentage correlation will operate:

A+ 100-97 B+ 89-87 C+ 79-77 D+ 69-67

A 96-94 B 86-84 C 76-74 D 66-64
A- 93-90 B- 83-80 C- 73-70 D- 63-60

Late work will be accepted only in exceptional circumstances and

will incur a grade penalty unless an extension has been negotiated. If
you are having problems with your work schedule, contact the
instructor in good time to see if an extension may be possible. The
turnaround of graded work is time-critical in this class, because of its
short time span!

Academic Integrity. Students are reminded that the highest

standards of academic integrity are required in all work. In this class,
references to primary and secondary literature should be presented in
accordance with one of the standard referencing systems, such as the
Chicago Manual of Style (which you can access online via the
Librarys online resources) or Turabians system.

Plagiarism (which includes inadequate paraphrasing of other peoples

ideas and data), lack of adequate citation, passing off someone elses
work (including material found on the internet) as your own, or any
other form of cheating will not be tolerated and will result in a failing
grade for the piece of work in question and even the course. For
guidance on any of these matters please see the University of Illinois
Student Code (especially
http://www.admin.illinois.edu/policy/code/article1_part4_1-402.html).
7
Further useful guidance on citation and related matters is on the
Music Librarys website, under Music Research Help (Avoiding
Plagiarism): see
http://www.library.illinois.edu/mux/research/music.html

Classroom Behavior. Courtesy toward instructor and fellow

students is assumed at all times. Please do not talk while others are
speaking, or indulge in other types of distracting behavior. No cell
phones or laptops, unless approved by the instructor. Thanks for your
cooperation.