MUS2054 : Music and Cultural Theory
- Offered for Year: 2026/27
- Available to incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students
- Module Leader(s): Professor Ian Biddle
- Owning School: Arts & Cultures
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Pre-requisite
Modules you must have done previously to study this module
Pre Requisite Comment
N/A
Co-Requisite
Modules you need to take at the same time
Co Requisite Comment
N/A
Aims
- To provide an introduction to some of the core conceptual tools of critical, radical and cultural musicology
- To provide a solid foundation in the cultural theory of music for students intending to go on to produce a dissertation in their final year.
- To investigate systematically a range of hermeneutic, text critical and theoretical approaches to music from recent music scholarship and elsewhere.
This module is intended to help you gain knowledge of a range of cultural-theoretical paradigms. These may vary from year to year, but would typically include: structuralist and poststructuralist theories, theories of colonisation, postcolonial theory, other approaches to theorising identity, presence and subjectivity, theories of musical autonomy, modernism, mass and popular culture and their inter-relationships, Marxist theories of culture, ideology and hegemony, theories of power, theories of cultural materialism and social semiotics.
Outline Of Syllabus
A series of lectures and seminars will cover a variety of topics, including:
theories of music and colonisation (post-colonial approaches); gender theory and gender politics in musical practice; theories of technology (sound reproduction technologies); theories of authorship (the idea of “authenticity” and other frameworks centred on musical creativity); material theories of culture (the culture industries, culture and class, culture and capitalism); music and identity politics (theorising uses of music in marginalised communities); “autonomist” versus “constructivist” theories of music.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 11 | 2:00 | 22:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | Seminar (circa 15 students per group) |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 167:00 | 167:00 | N/A |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures are the forum in which key concepts are introduced and explained. Seminars allow students to discuss these ideas and start to put them into their own new contexts. Seminars will often be based on close readings of texts which are set for your private study time.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 2 | A | 50 | written assignments |
| Essay | 2 | A | 50 | 3,500 words |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The portfolio of assignments and the essay assess how well you have assimilated aspects of the course material, (ii) your ability to formulate a critical position on the material, and (iii) your ability to communicate this concisely.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- MUS2054's Timetable