Outline

Overview

The range of media channels through which we experience, popular music has prolifereated in recent years. The emotive power of music is used to tell stories, sell products and connect people to one another. This unit will analyse the use of popular music in a broad range of multimedia forms from film and television to video games and the use of digital media to disseminate a multitude of musical multimedia productions.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Charles Fairchild, charles.fairchild@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Final Essay Research essay	30%	Formal exam period Due date: 12 Jun 2023 at 23:00 Closing date: 30 Jun 2023	3000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	3 Short Listening and Viewing Quizzes Short Quiz	15%	Multiple weeks	250 words each
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Analysing an Assemblage Research essay	25%	Week 06 Due date: 27 Mar 2023 at 23:00 Closing date: 14 Apr 2023	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Musical Media Analysis Research essay	25%	Week 10 Due date: 04 May 2023 at 23:00 Closing date: 19 May 2023	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Class Participation Class participation	5%	Weekly	n/a
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Task 1: Analysing an Assemblage

The core idea for this entire semester will be that of 'the assemblage.' This comes from the reading by Georgina Born from Week 2. The main use of the idea for us in analytical. Born argues that music must be understood as part of larger social, technological, and historical forces that shape how it sounds, how it owrk, how it is use,d and how it is experienced. Therefore, a key issue in this subject is the ways in which changes in the television, film and music industries have changed the ways in which music is used in various visual media. The goal of this assessment is to connect the aesthetics of a particular use of music to the larger ‘industrial’ context in which it appears. To this end, your task in this assessment will be to connect one incidence of the use of popular music in a television show or advertisement with the larger social, technological, and historical forces and concerns that might have influenced the use of that music. There are circuits that link a media production to the song, artist, and viewer. These links don't merely shape the meanings and experiences of the music, they produce them.

Task 2: Musical Media Analysis

Your task will be to analyse the use, function and meaning of popular music in a media production of your own choosing. The goal will be to analyse the use of one or two popular songs in particular scenes from a film or television show or documentary or video game and explain the role those songs play in the contexts in which they appear. You will need to apply the relevant analytic concepts presented in class and display some fluency with both the visual and musical methods of analysis used in lectures and tutorials.

Task 3: Listening and Viewing Quizzes

The two listening and viewing quizzes will consist of one question about one film or video clip in which popular music is used. These will be presented in tutorial. Each clip will be very similar to those we have studied either in lecture or tutorial. Your goal will be to briefly and concisely explain what the music is doing in the clip and what interpretation might be ascribed to the music in specific relation to the narrative, visual or informational content of the clip. There will be a total of four quizzes.

Task 4: Final Project

Your final project will be an extensive and detailed analysis of the use of music in film, television, video game or online multimedia production. You will need to develop a thesis, argument or research question and support your question or argument with evidence drawn from a range of sources. The goal will be to explain the aesthetic, social and industrial (or economic) connections between the music in use and the programs or video games or films in which it has been presented.

Class Participation

You are required to attend weekly lectures and tutorials. A ‘satisfactory’ record of attendance’ is an absolute pre-requisite for passing this unit of study. ‘Satisfactory’ requires you to attend a minimum of 20 hours of lectures and 10 tutorials. Unless written evidence of illness or misadventure is supplied, students who attend less than this will lose marks. Students who miss 5 class sessions will fail outright.

Assessment criteria

High distinction	85 - 100	Demonstrates high level of initiative in research and reading; sophisticated critical analysis of evidence; high level engagement with theoretical issues, innovative use of reading/research material and impressive command of underlying debates and assumptions; properly documented and written with style, originality and precision.
Distinction	75 - 84	Demonstrates initiative in research and wide, appropriate reading; complex understanding of question and ability to critically review material in relation to underlying assumptions and values; analyses material in relation to empirical and theoretical contexts; properly documented; clear, well-developed structure and argument with some signs of literary style.
Credit	65 - 74	Evidence of broader understanding than pass level; offers synthesis with some critical evaluation of material; coherent argument using a range of relevant evidence; some evidence of independent thought, good referencing. A high credit (70-74) shows some evidence of ability to problematise and think conceptually.
Pass	50 - 64	Written work meets basic requirements in terms of reading/research; relevant material; tendency to descriptive summary rather than critical argument; makes a reasonable attempt to avoid paraphrasing; reasonably coherent structure; often has weaknesses in particular areas, especially in terms of narrow or underdeveloped treatment of question; acceptable documentation.
Fail	0 - 49	Work may fail for any or all of the following reasons: Unacceptable paraphrasing; irrelevance of content; poor spelling; poor presentation; grammar or structure so sloppy it cannot be understood; failure to demonstrate understanding of content; insufficient or overlong word length.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

A penalty of 5% of the maximum mark will be applied per calendar day the assessment is late. After 10 calendar days, mark of zero is given for that assessment.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Music, Music Everywhere	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 02	How Does the Context of Consumption Affect Musical Meaning?	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 03	The Compilation Score	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 04	Auteurs and Alternatives	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 05	DJs and Bands as Film Composers	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 06	Really Emotional Videos: The Use of Popular Music in Television Drama	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 07	Really Short Music Videos: The Use of Popular Music in Television Advertising	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 08	Biographical Films About Musicians and Composers	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 10	The Musical Facts and Fictions of Todd Haynes’ Biographies	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 11	Fact, Fiction and the Rock Documentary	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 12	The Aesthetics of YouTube	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 13	Music-Centred Video Games	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

If you do not attend at least 10 lectures and 10 tutes you will not pass this subject.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. students will be able to understand the history of the use of popular music in screen media.
LO2. students will be able to analyse the use of popular music in specific kinds of media productions

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This unit has been updated with new readings and new films and videos for analysis

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

MUSC3630: Popular Music and the Moving Image

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect