Newcastle University

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

The module is intended:

• To give the students the possibility to explore the diversity and complexity of folk revival scenes and
practices through case studies from different world countries and cultural areas;
• To consider and examine key works in contemporary folk revival studies;
• To analyse folk revival musical processes, genres, and repertoires.

Outline Of Syllabus

Lectures in The Folk Revival will cover revival movements in the Britain and the US in addition to a series of global case studies which may include, as indicative examples, France, Spain, Italy, and Ireland.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

The module is intended:

• To give a broad knowledge of the contemporary musicological research in folk revival studies;
• To consider and evaluate key texts in folk music revival scholarship;
• To understand the old and new folk music revival repertoires and genres in different countries and cultural areas.

Intended Skill Outcomes

By the end of the module the students should have gained:

•       A broad knowledge of the contemporary musicological research in folk music studies;
•       A good understanding of key texts in folk music revival scholarship;
•       The ability to apply these approaches to understand and describe the old and new folk music revival
repertoires and genres in different countries and cultural areas.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The Folk Revival will consider the recent, substantial renewal of folk music revival studies, paying specific attention to the global presence of folk revivals and to the distinctiveness of each folk music revival world.

The Folk Revival has been devised to offer to students a direct access to scenes, works and performers that have been recently considered in the scholarly literature, and at the same time to provide a better understanding of the different approaches in the field of contemporary folk music revival studies.

Online lectures will introduce issues, approaches, concepts and audio-visual examples, focusing on the study of music from a selected folk revival scene, as well as the various approaches that musicologists have taken, with the opportunities to discuss and explore these further using Canvas discussions.

Weekly seminars will provide a space for small group discussion of lecture materials.

Drop-in sessions across the semester will support students in the process of developing their final essays.

During their private study time students are expected to work on a variety of activities between classes such as reading and listening. Among other things, these form essential preparation for lectures.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The essay must show:

•       how well students have assimilated aspects of the course material;
•       their ability to formulate a critical position on the material; and
•       their ability to communicate all the above.
•       The purpose of the formative text is to check understanding of folk revival phenomena, to identify personal strengths or weaknesses, and to suggest ways to improve student learning.

Students will be asked to choose at least three of the texts (books, chapters, essays) referenced in semester 1 and review them, focusing on the role of revival in specific folk music scenes.

General Notes

N/A