Outline

Overview

Climate change is one of the most important global issues of our era, and one which is destined to have a major influence on the lives of subsequent generations. It is especially dependent upon our understandings of the environment, our place within it, and our views of our environmental responsibilities. In this unit, students will explore some of the incredible range of ways in which music, the environment and climate change and interwoven. They will be guided through lectures from musicians and researchers involved in the connection between music and the environment across the fields of ethnomusicology, composition, digital music technology, jazz and contemporary music, as well as by lectures and a workshop with Indigenous Australian cultural custodians. Through this unit, students will understand not only the ways that, for millennia, music has a central role in the way that humans record, transmit and promote understandings of many different aspects of the environment, but also how it functions today and how it may help in solving environmental problems of the future.

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
Lecturer(s)	Catherine Ingram, catherine.ingram@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Major project Self-designed major project with reflective component	50%	Formal exam period Due date: 07 Jun 2023 at 23:59	4000 words or 7-10 minute video essay
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Class participation Class participation	30%	Ongoing	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Reflective essay Short essay citing at least five sources, details in canvas	20%	Week 07 Due date: 07 Apr 2023 at 23:59	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Reflective essay (20%): You will submit a short reflective essay exploring three different connections between music and the environment that you have encountered in the seminars during weeks 1-7, and explaining why you find these interesting or important. You are encouraged to use the weekly responses that you have uploaded to the discussion boards in weeks 1-6, and the feedback you received on them, to construct this essay. Your essay should cite at least five sources as evidence for your description of your selected environment-music connections, and can include sources discussed in class or featured in your tutorial panel.
Class participation (30%): (1) Participation in weekly activities and discussions, including both in-class discussions and short written responses (150-200 words each) to material discussed in weeks 1-6 that should be uploaded to a class discussion board for each week (10%); (2) Participation in two tutorial panels (15%), where you should prepare a 10-15 minute discussion with other panelists based around panel discussion questions set for that week, as well as any other issues you find relevant to the topic; (3) Upload of at least two discussion board posts during weeks 8-12 that demonstrate planning and responding to feedback on your individual major project, and successful completion of a class presentation on the project in week 13 (5%).
Major project (50%): Students will be supported to develop their own self-designed major project exploring one question that clearly links music with the environment and/or climate change. The project may involve research, creative practice and/or musical performance, and the final product will be submitted together with a personal reflection (discussing both the project methodology and your individual experience of undertaking the project). The reflective component should draw explicit connections between the project and content from at least two of the seminars in the unit, and should comprise around 25% of the submitted material. Further detail on this assessment will be provided during semester, and students will receive feedback on two discussion board posts about their individual project (uploaded during weeks 8-12) as well as a short presentation in the final class. The total submission should be equivalent to a 4000-word written essay, or a 7-10 minute video essay, and may involve a combination of different formats.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The following assessment criteria are used for written work in this unit of study:

Fail: (Below 50%) Work not of acceptable standard.

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.

Pass: (50%-64%) Work of acceptable standard.

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.

Credit: (65%-74%) Highly competent work demonstrating potential for higher study.

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.

Distinction: (75%-84%) Work of superior standard.

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.

High Distinction: (85%-100%) Work of exceptional standard.

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.

Oral presentations will be assessed against the following criteria:

Content

Shows evidence of broad research, taking into account a variety of sources

Clear argument, supported by relevant reasons and evidence 

Shows evidence of critical thinking about the topic, including:

Considers alternative views  
Where appropriate, questions assumptions implicit in the literature  
Draws meaningful connections between facts and / or concepts

Uses terminology accurately and appropriately  

Presentation

Is clearly expressed 

Is interesting and engages other students  

Makes appropriate use of examples and presentation methods relevant to the material presented (e.g. presentation software, handouts, recordings where relevant)  

Covers the topic effectively in the available time  

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.

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	Introduction	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 02	Warrangu River Story and First Nations Environmental Activism in Music	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 03	Key concepts and connections	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 04	Environment-music reciprocity in Indigenous musical traditions	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 05	Music as a complex ecosystem	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 06	Nature, place and climate action in Western art music (a music historian’s perspective)	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 07	Music and the environment: evolving responses, opportunities and challenges in art music (a composer’s perspective)	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 08	Popular music, the environment and climate justice	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 09	Zoömusicology	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 11	Music in threatened environments	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 12	“Listening to the Earth”: New creative approaches for understanding our environment through the medium of sound	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 13	Student presentations	Workshop (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance of at least 90% is expected.

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.

Required readings

Information provided on Canvas.

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. identify the significance of the many different connections between music and environment from the perspective of Indigenous peoples of Australia and beyond
LO2. demonstrate an enhanced awareness of musical diversity and the ways in which it can be linked to the environment by different musicians and communities
LO3. explain how music can be useful in promoting better environmental outcomes and combating climate change
LO4. show how climate change and other environmental problems can impact on music
LO5. gain musical inspiration from better understanding your own creative connections with your environment

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.

Students who took the previous rendition of the unit in 2021 recommended face-to-face mode and more explicit connections between different topics. The mode for 2023 is changed to face-to-face, and the class schedule and assessment structure have been slightly altered to assist students develop a clearer sense of connections amongst the unit content.

Additional information

Please see the Canvas site for more detailed information.

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

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

MUSC3641: Music, Environment and Climate Change

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

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect