- Docente: Silvia Bruni
- Credits: 6
- SSD: L-ART/08
- Language: Italian
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Bologna
- Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Drama, Art and Music Studies (cod. 5821)
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from Jan 29, 2024 to Mar 01, 2024
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, the student will be able to: - understand and outline methods and perspectives presented in the Anthropology of music which draw on both disciplinary and interdisciplinary scholarship; - identify the strengths and specific features of the study of music in anthropological perspective; - demonstrate an understanding of the field methods involved in the Anthropology of music; - explore the different approaches to music culture analysis based upon specific ethnographies.
Course contents
The course provides an introduction to the study of music as a cultural and social phenomenon, and examines how the anthropological perspective has been applied to its investigation. Specific topics covered in the lessons include fundamental concepts and theories of the anthropology of music, encompassing the ethnographic approach, cultural relativism, and symbolic analysis. We will explore the intersections of music with society, identity, religion, and meaning, as well as the processes of learning and transmission.
Through analyzing specific musical practices within diverse cultural contexts and utilizing audiovisual materials, the course will delve into the following areas:
-The ways in which music and musical practices are embedded within complex cultural systems, examining how music reflects the beliefs, values, and social practices of different communities.
-The role of music in ritual and ceremonial practices.
-The role of music in shaping individual and collective cultural identities and how it can serve as a tool for resistance and social change.
-The role of music in negotiating gender identities and power dynamics within a community.
-The processes of music transmission.
Readings/Bibliography
Alan P. Merriam, Antropologia della musica, prefazione di Diego Carpitella, Palermo, Sellerio, 2000 [eng. The Anthropology of Music, Evanston IL, Northwestern University Press, 1964], except for chapters V, XII, and XIV.
Chapter XII should be replaced with Claude Lévi-Strauss's essay (on Virtuale.unibo.it).
Additional materials for further study and others used during the course are available on Virtuale.unibo.it.
Teaching methods
Frontal lessons.
Viewing, listening, and commenting on audiovisual materials.
Assessment methods
The exam consists of an oral interview during which the student's developed skills and critical abilities will be evaluated.
Grades of excellence will be awarded for achieving a comprehensive understanding of the topics covered, expressive mastery, and specific language use, as well as originality in reflections and competence in using the tools of music anthropology analysis.
Moderate ratings will be assigned for a predominantly mechanical or rote knowledge of the subject, insufficiently articulated synthesis and analysis, appropriate language usage but not always fitting, or for a scholastic level of proficiency in the discipline.
Grades on the borderline of passing will be given in cases of educational gaps or inappropriate language usage, along with insufficient knowledge of the tools of music anthropology and a lack of orientation in the bibliography.
Negative evaluations will be reserved for significant educational gaps, inappropriate language use, and inability to analyze within the field of music anthropology.
The exam can be taken during the regular exam sessions or, upon reservation made one week in advance, during a meeting with the professor.
Teaching tools
During the lessons, video and audio recordings will be presented to complement the scheduled readings. Non-attending students are not required to complete any additional readings.
Office hours
See the website of Silvia Bruni