Research Methods

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Module Content

The course will begin with a discussion of the nature, purpose and extent of research. Students will be given an introduction to research methods: the use of libraries, journals, electronic resources, and bibliographical control. Conventions of research will be taught as a precursor to a discussion of the planning of research, literary style and critical orientation. Students will gain an insight into historiographical practices and current musicological practices including a discussion of performance studies, canon formation, musical analysis, hermeneutics, musical semiotics, gender studies and feminist criticism, critical theory (Adorno), and Structuralist and post-Structuralist thought. They will also be informed about the latest methodologies and strategies in pop music research, music and health (empirical research), research in music management, music journalism, and music technology. Finally, the course will address the writing of proposals and applications (an important, but neglected, aspect of musicological pedagogy).

Assignments

Assignment 1: Précis

You will choose one of three contentious/thought-provoking articles from Jstor and complete a detailed synthesis of the content, arguments and strategies employed in the article. Yu should also give an idea of how and where this article sits within other writings on the subject.

Assignment 2: Commentary

You will be given two book reviews and asked to provide a detailed commentary on the contrasting attitudes and critical strategies employed by the reviewers. You should describe the particular difficulties of that area of research and assess the extent to which the author has acknowledged and addressed these difficulties.

Assignment 3: Book review

Here you have a free choice of material. You should present a critical review of a book in your own field (it does not need to be a large book, but it should be more than 100 pages). You should outline the strategies used and give a summary of the content, and then explore the way in which the book provides an original contribution to knowledge. You would be well advised to choose and begin reading your chosen book at the start of the semester so that you can come to a deeper understanding of its content and can give yourself time to read around the topic. The module leader must approve the chosen book.

Assignment 4: Dissertation proposal

You are asked to provide a following research proposal including:
•   A detailed account of what you are going to do (critical questions), how this is to be achieved (methodology) and a time line for achieving it
•   An overview of research in the filed and how your work adds to this
•   A list of the major researchers in your chosen field and a short description of their work
•   A list of the main research resources and the problems and issues of using these (if any)
•   An annotated bibliography giving a short explanation of each item on the bibliography, its content and how it will be useful/relevant to your research (if at all)

the musicology of record production