REQUEST FOR ACTION BY THE ENGINEERING CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
Academic Year 2010-2011
______
This form should be sent to the Chair of the Engineering Curriculum Committee (Alva Couch), at least two weeks before a regularly scheduled meeting of the Committee. To expedite the review process, please provide both a signed paper copy of the form and an electronic version of the document, preferably via electronic mail.
If credit is desired in either Natural Science or Mathematical Science distribution area in Liberal Arts, one must obtain separate approval from the Academic Review Board(ARB). Please forward the course description to the chair of the ARB, currently Stephen Bailey (Anthropology).
A copy should also be sent to the Collection Management Librarian of Tisch Library
______
Name _Paul D. Lehrman______
Signature ______
Department ___Music______
Extension ____x75657______
Date ___24 Sep 2010______
Name _____Chris Rogers______
Signature ______
Department ___Mechanical Engineering______
Extension ______x72882______
Date ___4 Sep 2010______
Name _Jeffrey Hopwood______
Signature ______
Department ___Music______
Extension ____x74358______
Date ___4 Sep 2010______
Please circle or underline appropriate line(s)
(1)Offer a new course or program that will be considered by the faculty.
2 Change the number of a course.
3 Change the title of a course.
4 Change the wording of a course or program description.
5 Other. ______
This request has been approved by the faculty of:
______
Department
______
Signature of Department Chair
______
Department
______
Signature of Department Chair
On this page or on attached pages, please describe changes, rationale, and resources required to implement the proposed changes.
1.New course or other requested changes. Please give department designation, course number, course title, and new Bulletin description. Note that the description should be about four printed lines and written in Bulletin language. For other requested changes, please give old designation, course number, course title, and old course description; follow this with a description of the requested changes. Attach additional pages if needed.
Interdisciplinary Minor in Music Engineering
The interdisciplinary minor in music engineering provides engineers and non-engineers with experiences at the intersection of music and technology. Students learn the technologies behind music-making, both traditional and modern, and how new technologies can be applied to musical goals.
The minor consists of 5 courses and a final project (6 units in total). The minor has three possible emphases: (1) sound recording and production, (2) electronic instrument design, and (3) acoustic instrument design. Students can follow any one of these emphases, which will influence the choice of final project. Course requirements for the minor include:
- One music course from Music 10 (Introduction to Music Theory and Musicianship), 101/102/103 (Principles of Tonal Theory I/II/III), 104 (Jazz Theory), or 118 (Composition Seminar)
- A two-course concentration in one of:
a) Sound recording and production:
- Physics 10 (Physics of Music and Color)
- Electrical Engineering 65 (Music Recording and Production)
b) Electronic instrument design:
▪ EE12 (Analog Electronics) or EE125 (Digital Signal Processing)
▪ Engineering Science 95/Music 66 (Electronic Musical Instrument Design)
c) Acoustic instrument design:
▪ Mechanical Engineering 139 (Acoustics) or 181 (Advanced Dynamics & Vibrations)
▪ Engineering Science 73 (Musical Instrument Design and Manufacture) or an approved course in Musical Instrument Making from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.
- Music 64 (Computer Tools for Musicians), Electrical Engineering 65 (Music Recording and Production), or Music 65 (Music Recording and Production).
- One credit from the following options: Music 64, Music 65, Electrical Engineering 65, Engineering Science 73 (Musical Instrument Design and Manufacture), Engineering Science 95/Music 66 (Electronic Musical Instrument Design), or an Engineering Internship (EE99 or ME99) or Independent Study course (EE93 or 94, ME93, or Music 97) on an approved topic supervised by a participating minor advisor, or a course on acoustic instrument design, sound, sculpture, or performance from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts.
- A one-credit final project (EE95 or 96, or both EE97 and 98; ME43 or 94; or Music 98) on an approved topic, supervised by a participating minor advisor.
Each student taking the minor must have a minor faculty advisor who approves course selections and mentors the final project. Each minor must include at least two courses with Engineering course designations. A list of approved courses available at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts is available from the program directors.
2.Please describe the rationale and impact of the proposed changes and/or for offering the new course or courses. Indicate ways in which proposed changes affect existing or proposed programs of study both within and outside your department. When appropriate, indicate relationships between changes and practices at peer institutions, as well as relevance to School of Engineering strategic plans.
The proposed interdisciplinary Minor in Music Engineering is designed to allow both engineers and non-engineers to explore the intersection of music and technology in a variety of contexts, from creating instruments and performance systems to distribution of music through physical and virtual media. Students will learn the technologies behind musical-making, both traditional and modern, and how new technologies can be applied to musical goals. See attached for detailed program information.
In the modern world, music and technology are more closely intertwined than ever before. Engineering science is a critical part of all phases of music, from instrument design and construction, to performance, to recording and production, to distribution. Music is an attractive way of bringing non-engineering students into engineering, or of introducing engineering students to fields that they otherwise might not study. Students in the minor will come from both liberal arts and engineering, and will often work together on collaborative projects. Therefore each group will learn how to communicate with the other, and students will experience working in teams whose members have disparate skillsets. In many cases, and we have already seen this in practice (viz. paper by Dr. Lehrman and student Todd Ryan, "Bridging the gap between art and science education through teaching Electronic Musical Instrument Design," presented at the 2005 conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression), students will learn from each other as much as from their instructors.
The Musical Instrument Engineering minor, established in 1998, is the precursor to this minor. All of the earlier program's components are incorporated into the new program. The Music Engineering minor adds the layers of digital instrument design and sound recording and production, both of which have been offered as music and engineering courses, but not within the context of a minor.
The demand for this program is great, as evidenced by the number of students attempting to register for Music 64, 65, and 66 every semester (generally 200% of capacity), and the growing number of inquiries faculty members are getting from prospective students looking for a college curriculum that combines serious study of music with practical and theoretical study of engineering.
Tufts is in a unique position to offer such a program and give students a thorough grounding in both disciplines, as well as the opportunity to work alongside students from other disciplines, and learn how to communicate across the boundaries that still exist between "The Two Cultures" so presciently identified a half-century ago by C.P. Snow.
3.Please describe the resources required to implement the proposed changes, including plans for how these resources will be obtained. Include expected enrollments, class sizes, expected numbers of sections, and frequency of offering for each class. Describe modifications required in your department’s curriculum or instructor’s regular course offerings to make the proposed changes possible. Identify whether required funding for resources is pending and/or dependent upon external grants. Where possible, compare resource requirements to existing requirements before the proposed changes.
Establishment of the minor will require no immediate staffing changes or additional funding, since all of the courses in the proposal are already funded.
Administration of the program will be handled initially by Profs. Hopwood and Rogers, and Dr. Lehrman. Upon approval and filling of a new full-time position, now proposed, of Lecturer in Music Technology, it is expected that the individual in that position will administer the program.
If additional resources are required, please attach a statement from the Dean of Engineering (or a designee) concerning the resources and how they will be provided.
______
Please fill out the attached Library Impact Study form if: (a) you are requesting that a new course be included in the curriculum or (b) you anticipate the need for substantial new library resources as a result of changes in the description of your course.
______
TUFTS UNIVERSITY ARTS AND SCIENCES LIBRARY
LIBRARY IMPACT STATEMENTFOR UNDERGRADUATE COURSES
Please furnish the information requested below and return this form to: Collection Management Librarian, Arts and Sciences Library, Tisch. (The Arts and Sciences Librarian is an ex officio member of the Committee on Curricula.)
- Department or Program___Interdisciplinary: Music, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
- Title of course Minor in Music Engineering
- Suggested department course number ______n/a______
- Course will first be offered ______Spring 2011______
- Instructor(s) ______Paul Lehrman, Jeffrey Hopwood, Chris Rogers___
- Campus telephone number_____x75657 / x74358 / x72882_____
- Anticipated enrollment____10______
- Open to undergraduates______yes______
graduates______no______
- This course is primarily dependent on:
Text___√_
Library resources______
- Brief description of topics to be covered
Acoustics, physics, computer languages, music synthesis, electronic sensors, materials science, audio electronics, audio transducers, digital signal processing, musical instrument design,
•Description of any additional library resources needed to support this course.
n/a