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MUMH 6160: Mahler’s Music and Its Reception

Dr. Notley, Spring 2013

Room 295, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30–1:50

Office: Room 319Phone: 565–3751

Hours: Tues. 3–4; Thurs. 2–3; and by appointmentE-mail:

(the set hours may change because of committee meetings)

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES: This course will be devoted to close study of Mahler’s music and to ways in which it has been received. The goals of this course are for students to do the following:

  1. Achieve detailed knowledge of Mahler’s oeuvre
  1. Acquire a solid understanding of reception research, especially as this applies to Mahler’s music
  1. Improve their research and writing skills
  1. Think more critically about how they conduct their own work

MATERIALS:

  • Students should acquire Dover scores for Mahler’s Symphonies 1 through 9 and Das Lied von der Erde; other scores can be downloaded from IMSLP. The carrel for this class is 404.
  • At times I'll place materials on reserve at the Copy Center in the Union, which will allow you to make copies at a very low price.
  • You can access audio recordings at home through the library’s website: go to Electronic Resources and then to Naxos.

EXPECTATIONS: The distribution for the final grade is as follows:

Attendance: 6 %

Participation:14 % (1/2 point per class)

(*may include short writing assignments)

Leading class discussion twice10 % (5 % + 5 %)

One short paper10 %

Final paper and presentation:60 % (10 % for presentation, 50 % for paper)**

LEADING CLASS DISCUSSION: Each student will lead class discussion with another student. I’ll prepare detailed assignments for each class, but I’ll expect the students leading class discussion to take the assignment further. I’ll expect all other students to participate fully.

SHORT PAPER: The purpose is to help students consolidate their understanding of a particular topic and to provide early guidance in the writing of a thesis-driven paper.

FINAL PROJECTS: The final project will involve an oral presentation and a written paper. Final papers must be 12 to 20 pages long; the presentations are to last 20 minutes. I’ll divide the 50 % allotted for the paper into several stages of writing. **This may include the writing of several short papers that will feed into the final paper.

ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION:

  • A seminar works only if all students attend class and participate regularly in the discussions: you learn from preparing for class and engaging in discussion. Students are therefore expected to be present and prepared for each class. The six attendance points are there for each student to keep or lose!
  • A student will lose two (2) points from his or her grade (100 points to begin with) for each unexcused absence and will be dropped from the roll with a WF after four (4) unexcused absences. The university recognizes only two types of absences as excused: those for religious holidays or for school-sponsored activities. For an absence to be considered excused, I must receive proper documentation. Absences for auditions and other important events may be considered excused: you must check with me first. The university does not recognize illness as a reason for an absence to be excused.
  • An absence from any one of the classes devoted to final presentations will result in the subtraction of five (5) points from the student's final grade.
  • A late arrival or early departure counts as a half or full absence, depending on how much of the class the student misses.
  • I’ll take notes each week on students’ participation. Make sure that you prepare for and participate in each class. Again, this is essential for a seminar. *Please note: I may make short written assignments to ensure that each student participates. If you want to avoid the extra writing, prepare well and participate vigorously from the beginning.

Approximate Weekly Schedule (subject to revision)

Week by TuesdayTopics

11/15Introduction: Mahler and Reception Research

21/22Mahler’s Wunderhorn Years

31/29Mahler’s Wunderhorn Years

42/5Mahler’s Wunderhorn Years

52/12Mahler’s Wunderhorn Years

62/19Mahler’s Post-Wunderhorn Music

72/26Mahler’s Post-Wunderhorn Music

83/5Mahler’s Post-Wunderhorn Music

WEEK OF MARCH 12 IS SPRING BREAK

93/19Mahler’s Post-Wunderhorn Music

103/26Mahler’s Later Music (7th)

114/2Mahler’s Later Music (7th, Das Lied)

124/9Mahler’s Later Music (Das Lied, 9th)

134/16Mahler’s Later Music (9th)

144/23Mahler’s Later Music (8th)

Classes during pre-finals week (April 30 and May 2) plus final exam time (Tuesday, May 7, 10:30–12:30) will be used for final presentations. All final papers are due by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8.

SPECIAL NOTICES FROM THE ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS:

Office of Disability Accommodation

The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodation for students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodation must first register with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to faculty to begin a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices of accommodation should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in implementation. Note that students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester and must meet with each faculty member prior to implementation in each class. For additional information see the Office of Disability Accommodation website at http://www.unt.edu/oda. You may also contact them by phone at 940.565.4323.

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress

A student must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to continue to receive financial aid. Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA in addition to successfully completing a required number of credit hours based on total registered hours per term. Students cannot exceed maximum timeframes established based on the published length of the graduate program. If a student does not maintain the required standards, the student may lose their financial aid eligibility.

If at any point you consider dropping this or any other course, please be advised that the decision to do so may have the potential to affect your current and future financial aid eligibility. Please visit http://financialaid.unt.edu/satisfactory-academic-progress-requirements for more information about financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress. It may be wise for you to schedule a meeting with an academic advisor in your college or visit the Student Financial Aid and Scholarships office to discuss dropping a course being doing so.

Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity is defined in the UNT Policy on Student Standards for Academic Integrity. Any suspected case of Academic Dishonesty will be handled in accordance with the University Policy and procedures. Possible academic penalties range from a verbal or written admonition to a grade of “F” in the course. Further sanctions may apply to incidents involving major violations. You will find the policy and procedures at: http://vpaa.unt.edu/academic-integrity.htm.

Student Behavior in the Classroom

Student behavior that interferes with an instructor’s ability to conduct a class or other students’ opportunity to learn is unacceptable and disruptive and will not be tolerated in any instructional forum at UNT. Students engaging in unacceptable behavior will be directed to leave the classroom and the instructor may refer the student to the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities to consider whether the student’s conduct violated the Code of Student Conduct. The university’s expectations for student conduct apply to all instructional forums, including university and electronic classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The Code of Student Conduct can be found at: www.unt.edu/csrr.