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School for Studies in Art and Culture: Music
(Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)
A911 Loeb Building
613-520-5770
carleton.ca/music

This section presents the requirements for programs in:

Program Requirements

M.A. Music and Culture (5.0 credits)

Requirements - Thesis pathway (5.0 credits)
1.  1.5 credits in:1.5
MUSI 5000 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory I: Intellectual Histories
MUSI 5002 [0.5]
Research Methods in Music and Culture
MUSI 5004 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory II: Current Debates
2.  1.5 credits in additional course work chosen from available elective courses1.5
3.  2.0 credits in:2.0
MUSI 5909 [2.0]
M.A. Thesis
Total Credits5.0
Requirements - Research essay pathway (5.0 credits)
1.  1.5 credits in:1.5
MUSI 5000 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory I: Intellectual Histories
MUSI 5002 [0.5]
Research Methods in Music and Culture
MUSI 5004 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory II: Current Debates
2.  2.5 credits in additional course work chosen from available elective courses2.5
Subject to the approval of the graduate supervisor, 0.5 credit may be taken outside the program in a related discipline.
3.  1.0 credit in:1.0
MUSI 5908 [1.0]
Research Essay
Total Credits5.0
Requirements - Coursework pathway (5.0 credits)
1.  1.5 credits in:1.5
MUSI 5000 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory I: Intellectual Histories
MUSI 5002 [0.5]
Research Methods in Music and Culture
MUSI 5004 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory II: Current Debates
2.  3.5 credits in additional coursework chosen from available elective courses3.5
Subject to the approval of the graduate supervisor, 1.0 credit may be taken outside the program in a related discipline.
Total Credits5.0

M.A. Music and Culture
with Collaborative Specialization in Accessibility (5.0 credits)

Requirements - Thesis pathway:
1.  1.5 credits in:1.5
MUSI 5000 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory I: Intellectual Histories
MUSI 5002 [0.5]
Research Methods in Music and Culture
MUSI 5004 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory II: Current Debates
2.  0.5 credit in additional MUSI coursework chosen from available electives0.5
3.  1.0 credit in:1.0
ACCS 5001 [0.5]
Critical Disability Studies
ACCS 5002 [0.5]
Accessibility and Inclusive Design Seminar
4.  2.0 credits in:2.0
MUSI 5909 [2.0]
M.A. Thesis (in the specialization)
Total Credits5.0
Requirements - Research essay pathway:
1.  1.5 credits in:1.5
MUSI 5000 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory I: Intellectual Histories
MUSI 5002 [0.5]
Research Methods in Music and Culture
MUSI 5004 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory II: Current Debates
2.  1.5 credits in additional MUSI coursework chosen from available electives1.5
3.  1.0 credit in:1.0
ACCS 5001 [0.5]
Critical Disability Studies
ACCS 5002 [0.5]
Accessibility and Inclusive Design Seminar
4.  1.0 credit in:1.0
MUSI 5908 [1.0]
Research Essay (in the specialization)
Total Credits5.0
Requirements - Coursework pathway:
1.  1.5 credits in:1.5
MUSI 5000 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory I: Intellectual Histories
MUSI 5002 [0.5]
Research Methods in Music and Culture
MUSI 5004 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory II: Current Debates
2.  2.5 credits in additional MUSI coursework chosen from available electives, including 0.5 credit designated as having sufficient accessibility content2.5
3.  1.0 credit in:1.0
ACCS 5001 [0.5]
Critical Disability Studies
ACCS 5002 [0.5]
Accessibility and Inclusive Design Seminar
Total Credits5.0

M.A. Music and Culture
with Collaborative Specialization in African Studies (5.0 credits)

Requirements - Thesis pathway (5.0 credits)
1.  1.5 credits in: 1.5
MUSI 5000 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory I: Intellectual Histories
MUSI 5002 [0.5]
Research Methods in Music and Culture
MUSI 5004 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory II: Current Debates
2.  1.0 credit in additional MUSI course work chosen from available electives1.0
3.  2.0 credits in: 2.0
MUSI 5909 [2.0]
M.A. Thesis
4.  0.5 credit in: 0.5
AFRI 5000 [0.5]
African Studies as a Discipline: Historical and Current Perspectives
5.  0.0 credit in: 0.0
AFRI 5800 [0.0]
Scholarly Preparation in African Studies
Total Credits5.0
Requirements - Research essay pathway (5.0 credits)
1.  1.5 credits in:1.5
MUSI 5000 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory I: Intellectual Histories
MUSI 5002 [0.5]
Research Methods in Music and Culture
MUSI 5004 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory II: Current Debates
2.  2.0 credits in additional MUSI course work chosen from available elective courses2.0
3.  1.0 credit in: 1.0
MUSI 5908 [1.0]
Research Essay
4.  0.5 credit in: 0.5
AFRI 5000 [0.5]
African Studies as a Discipline: Historical and Current Perspectives
5.  0.0 credit in: 0.0
AFRI 5800 [0.0]
Scholarly Preparation in African Studies
Total Credits5.0
Requirements - Coursework pathway (5.0 credits)
1.  1.5 credits in: 1.5
MUSI 5000 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory I: Intellectual Histories
MUSI 5002 [0.5]
Research Methods in Music and Culture
MUSI 5004 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory II: Current Debates
2.  2.0 credits in additional MUSI course work chosen from available elective courses2.0
3.  0.5 credit in: 0.5
AFRI 5000 [0.5]
African Studies as a Discipline: Historical and Current Perspectives
4.  0.0 credit in:0.0
AFRI 5800 [0.0]
Scholarly Preparation in African Studies
5.  1.0 credit from:1.0
AFRI 5050 [0.5]
Selected Topics in African Studies
AFRI 5100 [0.5]
African Studies Abroad
AFRI 5700 [0.5]
Directed Readings in African Studies
AFRI 5900 [0.5]
Placement
ANTH 5109 [0.5]
Ethnography of Gender
ANTH 5209 [0.5]
Special Topics in Ethnography of Contemporary Africa
ANTH 5809 [0.5]
Special Topics in the Anthropology of Development
ENGL 5008 [0.5]
Studies in African Literature
ENGL 5010 [0.5]
Studies in Caribbean Literature
FREN 5212 [0.5]
Littératures francophones
INAF 5603 [0.5]
Issues in Development in Africa
LAWS 5007 [0.5]
Race, Ethnicity and the Law
LAWS 5603 [0.5]
International Law: Theory and Practice
PSCI 5107 [0.5]
Globalization, Adjustment and Democracy in Africa
PSCI 5202 [0.5]
Development Theory and Issues
PSCI 5203 [0.5]
Southern Africa After Apartheid
SOCI 5404 [0.5]
Race, Ethnicity and Class in Contemporary Societies
WGST 5902 [0.5]
Advanced Topics in Women's and Gender Studies II
Total Credits5.0

M.A. Music and Culture
with Collaborative Specialization in Digital Humanities (5.0 credits)

Requirements - Thesis pathway (5.0 credits)
1.  1.5 credits in:1.5
MUSI 5000 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory I: Intellectual Histories
MUSI 5002 [0.5]
Research Methods in Music and Culture
MUSI 5004 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory II: Current Debates
2.  0.5 credit in additional MUSI course work chosen from available electives0.5
3.  2.0 credits in:2.0
MUSI 5909 [2.0]
M.A. Thesis (in the specialization)
4.  0.5 credit in:0.5
DIGH 5000 [0.5]
Issues in the Digital Humanities
5.  0.5 credit from DIGH (DIGH 5011, DIGH 5012, or annually listed DIGH course)0.5
6.  0.0 credit in:0.0
DIGH 5800 [0.0]Digital Humanities: Professional Development0.0
Total Credits5.0
Requirements - Research essay pathway (5.0 credits)
1.  1.5 credits in:1.5
MUSI 5000 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory I: Intellectual Histories
MUSI 5002 [0.5]
Research Methods in Music and Culture
MUSI 5004 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory II: Current Debates
2. 1.5 credits additional MUSI course work chosen from available elective courses1.5
3.  1.0 credit in:1.0
MUSI 5908 [1.0]
Research Essay (in the specialization)
4.  0.5 credit in:0.5
DIGH 5000 [0.5]
Issues in the Digital Humanities
5.  0.5 credit from DIGH (DIGH 5011, DIGH 5012, or annually listed DIGH course)0.5
6.  0.0 credit in:0.0
DIGH 5800 [0.0]
Digital Humanities: Professional Development
Total Credits5.0
Requirements - Coursework pathway (5.0 credits)
1.  1.5 credits in:1.5
MUSI 5000 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory I: Intellectual Histories
MUSI 5002 [0.5]
Research Methods in Music and Culture
MUSI 5004 [0.5]
Music and Cultural Theory II: Current Debates
2.  2.0 credits in additional MUSI course work chosen from available elective courses2.0
3.  0.5 credit in:0.5
DIGH 5000 [0.5]
Issues in the Digital Humanities
4.  1.0 credit from:1.0
DIGH 5011 [0.5]
Graduate Practicum in Digital Humanities
DIGH 5012 [0.5]
Directed Readings and Research in Digital Humanities
DIGH 5902 [0.5]
Special Topics in Digital Humanities
- or annually listed DIGH course
5.  0.0 credit in:0.0
DIGH 5800 [0.0]
Digital Humanities: Professional Development
Total Credits5.0

Music (MUSI) Courses

Note: the majority of courses are open to non-Majors; students are advised to consult the Discipline. Priority is given to Music students.

MUSI 5000 [0.5 credit]
Music and Cultural Theory I: Intellectual Histories

Major intellectual trends relevant to cultural theory and their application to the study of music. Topics may include: Marxism and critical theory, anthropological and sociological theory, philosophical aesthetics, psychoanalysis, feminism and gender theory, post-colonial studies, and cultural studies.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Precludes additional credit for MUSI 5001 (no longer offered).

MUSI 5002 [0.5 credit]
Research Methods in Music and Culture

The research process, including the phases of conceptualization, gathering of sources, and writing up the completed research. Topics include: issues related to applying interdisciplinary methodologies to musical objects of study, conducting ethnographic research and writing for scholarly publications, conference presentations, and grant applications.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity

MUSI 5004 [0.5 credit]
Music and Cultural Theory II: Current Debates

Selected debates within contemporary theory and culture and their relevance to music. The focus will be on a limited range of debates and issues selected by the instructor for in-depth discussion and analysis. Topics will vary from year to year.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Prerequisite(s): MUSI 5000 or permission of the School.

MUSI 5006 [0.5 credit]
Music and Identity

Music as a medium for the construction and maintenance of cultural identities, including the relationship between music and traditional cultures, geography, the nation state, urban subcultures, gender and sexuality, race, class, and ethnicity.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity

MUSI 5007 [0.5 credit]
Music and Visual Culture

The relationships between musical and visual cultures, including traditional arts, fine art painting, film, television, and digital gaming and interactive media, and the ways in which meanings are dependent upon the various connections between them.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity

MUSI 5008 [0.5 credit]
Technologies of Music

The role that technologies, including musical instruments, notation, sound recording, and digital media, play in the concepts and practices associated with music. Topics include: technology as material culture, technology and musical practices, and the increasing importance of technology in contemporary music and culture.

MUSI 5009 [0.5 credit]
Music, Meaning and Representation

Theories of meaning and representation as applied to music. Major source traditions and critiques to be considered include: semiotics and structuralism, analytic philosophy, formalism, cognitive theory, and post-structuralism.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity

MUSI 5010 [0.5 credit]
History of Genres

Theories of genre, including theories derived from literary theory and film studies, and their application to the history of music. Topics may include relationships between genre and musical style, production and reception, social contexts, markets, and the legitimization and organization of knowledge.

MUSI 5011 [0.5 credit]
Music and Social Institutions

Historical relationships between music and society, including that of Western art music to sacred and secular institutions; the rise of the cultural industries (sound recording, radio and film); the relationship of science, the arts, and the academy; and state policies of arts funding and multiculturalism.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity

MUSI 5012 [0.5 credit]
Music and Nation

How nationhood narratives circulate within and around music and how they are articulated in institutional discourses, media, and state policy; how these narratives have been supported or challenged by musical practices, regionalism, immigration, social and cultural identities.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity

MUSI 5013 [0.5 credit]
Music and Performance

Music as a form of social practice rooted in traditions of performance. The variable, multimodal character of music as understood through theories of performance and gesture drawn from the histories and literatures of music, theatre, and dance (in art, popular, and non-Western forms).
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity

MUSI 5015 [0.5 credit]
Ethnomusicology of Canadian Traditions

Issues of anthropological, sociological, and analytical significance are examined in the context of selected developments in folklore and ethnomusicological research on Canadian traditions.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Precludes additional credit for MUSI 5101 (no longer offered).
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements, as MUSI 4103, for which additional credit is precluded.

MUSI 5016 [0.5 credit]
First Peoples Music in Canada

The context and significance of musical expressions of selected Canadian Indigenous groups and the contributions of individuals in the creation of music and meaning in First Peoples' communities.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Precludes additional credit for MUSI 5102 (no longer offered).
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements, as MUSI 4104, for which additional credit is precluded.

MUSI 5017 [0.5 credit]
Music and Globalization

Music’s role in the multifaceted and complex processes of globalization. Drawing on case studies of “world musics” this course explores how sound and music negotiate histories of post/colonialism, cultural and economic imperialism, and constructions of sameness and difference in “world music" contexts.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements, as MUSI 4304, for which additional credit is precluded.

MUSI 5018 [0.5 credit]
Music and Social Justice

This course explores the varied roles that music has played—and continues to play—as an agent of positive social change, offering students innovative opportunities to reflect/act on the relationships between music and human rights and to forge connections between academic work and struggles for social justice.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity

MUSI 5200 [0.5 credit]
Special Topics in Music and Cultural Theory

Selected topics focusing on aspects of music and cultural theory not available in regular program offerings. Topic will vary from year to year.

MUSI 5201 [0.5 credit]
Special Topics in Music Genres

Selected topics focusing on specific genres of music not available in regular program offerings. Topic will vary from year to year.

MUSI 5300 [0.5 credit]
Practicum in Music

Academically informed practical experience in music-specific projects such as music recording, librarianship, concert management, research, multimedia creation at local institutions. A maximum of 1.0 credit of practicum may be used in fulfilment of M.A. requirements.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Prerequisite(s): permission of the School.

MUSI 5400 [0.5 credit]
Advanced Studies in Performance

Advanced study for voice or instrument in classical, traditional or popular idioms. The course requires a lecture-recital arranged in consultation with the Graduate Supervisor and the Supervisor of Performance Studies. This course is non-repeatable.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Prerequisite(s): Proposal, audition, enrolment in the MA program and permission of the Graduate Supervisor and Supervisor of Performance Studies.
Individual instruction on a bi-weekly basis. 0.5 credit for full year course.

MUSI 5401 [0.5 credit]
Advanced Studies in Composition

Advanced study in composition in classical, jazz or popular idioms. The student will be required to assemble a portfolio of work as a final project for the course. This course is non-repeatable.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Prerequisite(s): Proposal, portfolio of compositions, enrolment in the MA program, and permission of the Graduate Supervisor.
Individual instruction on a bi-weekly basis. 0.5 credit for a full year course.

MUSI 5900 [0.5 credit]
Directed Readings and Research

Course designed to permit students to pursue research on topics in music and culture chosen in consultation with a member of the faculty. A maximum of 1.0 credit of directed studies may be used in fulfilment of M.A. requirements.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Prerequisite(s): permission of the School.

MUSI 5908 [1.0 credit]
Research Essay

Includes: Experiential Learning Activity

MUSI 5909 [2.0 credits]
M.A. Thesis

Includes: Experiential Learning Activity

Note: Not all courses listed are offered in a given year. For an up-to-date statement of course offerings for the current session and to determine the term of offering, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca.

Summer session: some of the courses listed in this Calendar are offered during the summer. Hours and scheduling for summer session courses will differ significantly from those reported in the fall/winter Calendar. To determine the scheduling and hours for summer session classes, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca

Regulations

See the General Regulations section of this Calendar.

A standing of B- or higher must be obtained in each course counted towards the Master's degree.

Deadlines

Thesis Proposal: full-time students normally will submit their thesis (or research essay) topic to the thesis proposal board no later than April 30 of the first year of registration for students enrolled full-time, and no later than the middle of the fifth term of registration for students enrolled part-time.

Regulations governing requirements for the Master's thesis, including deadlines for submission, are outlined in the General Regulations section of this Calendar.

Admission Requirements

The minimum requirement for admission to the Master's program in Music and Culture is either a B.Mus. degree or a B.A. Honours degree in Music with a minimum B+ average.

Applicants with a B.A. Honours in a related discipline (e.g., Mass Communication, Women's Studies, Philosophy, or Cultural Studies), with a minimum average of B+, will also be considered provided the applicant can demonstrate a strong background in some form of music.

Applicants without the requisite background in either cultural/theory or music may be required to take a maximum of two full credits from designated courses at the undergraduate level in addition to their normal M.A. program requirements.

There are no performance requirements for admission to this degree program.

Applicants without a B.Mus. or B.A. Honours degree in Music, or a related discipline, but who have a three-year degree with a minimum average of B+, may be admitted to a qualifying year program. Students who complete the qualifying year requirements with a minimum average of B+ will be considered for admission to the Master's program.

Accelerated Pathway

The accelerated pathway in the M.A. in Music and Culture is a flexible and individualized plan of graduate study.  Students in their final year of a Carleton Bachelor of Music or Bachelor of Arts (Honours, Music Major or Minor) with demonstrated excellent aptitude for research may qualify for this option.

Students in their third-year of study in the B.Mus. or B.A.Honours should consult with both the Undergraduate Supervisor and the Graduate Supervisor of the Music program to determine if the accelerated pathway is appropriate for them and to confirm their selection of courses for their final year of undergraduate studies.

Accelerated Pathway Requirements

  1.  Elective MUSI courses at the 5000-level with a grade of B+ or higher.
  2.  Minimum overall CGPA of A-

Students may receive advanced standing with transfer of credit of up to 1.0 credit which can reduce their time to completion.