MUSIC 4340

Fieldwork Methods in Ethnomusicology

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2017-2018.

Although ethnographic fieldwork is often touted as the hallmark of ethnomusicological research, it is sometimes unclear what distinguishes certain music scholarship as "ethnographic" to begin with. Does conducting interviews render a study ethnographic? Is participant observation in a band or performance ensemble an effective research method? This class introduces and problematizes primary methodologies in ethnomusicological research, taking into consideration the relations of power that determine the subjects, processes and products of that research. It places foundational ethnomusicological texts and contemporary ethnographies of music and performance in dialogue with a broader body of critical scholarship on ethnographic methods, including interviewing, field recording, participant observation, and hanging out. Students will test and critically evaluate these methods as they design and conduct fieldwork projects in the local community and workshop those projects in class.

When Offered Fall.

Distribution Category (SBA-AS)

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