Fall 2020 Course Syllabus Course: MUSI-1310- Section: 74E American Music

Instructor Information
Instructor	Richard Vandewalker
E-mail	vandewalkerre@lamarpa.edu
Phone	(409) 984-6520
Office	Location: Sam and Linda Monroe Performing Arts Center - Room: 126 Hours: M-F 2-4pm
Department	Commercial Music, Visual and Performing Arts Chair: Richard Vandewalker E-mail: vandewalkerre@lamarpa.edu Phone: (409) 984-6520 If you have a grievance, complaint, or concern about this course that has not been resolved through discussion with the Instructor, please consult the Department Chair.
COVID 19 Information	The Lamar State College Port Arthur (LSCPA) Student Code of Conduct COVID 19 Policy requires students who have been exposed to COVID 19 or diagnosed with COVID 19 to report their condition on the COVID 19 Notification Form (available via a link on the Student Code of Conduct COVID19 webpage). This information will be provided to the Dean of Student Services. In addition, this policy requires all students to wear face coverings in compliance with the criteria included in the policy. For more information please refer to the COVID 19 link on the LSCPA website.
Course Information
Description	General survey of various styles of music in America. Topics may include jazz, ragtime, folk, rock, and contemporary art music which promotes the appreciation of cultural expressions.
Prerequisites	None
Learning Outcomes	Upon successful completion of this course, students will: 1.    Identify the elements, styles, and musicians representative of music within the chosen style(s). 2.    Analyze the elements and structures of music using appropriate terminology. 3.    Critically evaluate the influence of social, political, technological, and/or cultural ideas on the chosen musical style(s). 4.    Articulate an informed personal reflection of the chosen musical style(s).
Core Objectives	* Communication skills: Students will demonstrate effective written, oral and visual communication. * Critical Thinking Skills: Students will engage in creative and/or innovative thinking, and/or inquiry, analysis, evaluation, synthesis of information, organizing concepts and constructing solutions.
Program Student Learning Outcomes	1.    Identify the elements, styles, and musicians representative of music within the chosen style(s). 2.    Analyze the elements and structures of music using appropriate terminology. 3.    Critically evaluate the influence of social, political, technological, and/or cultural ideas on the chosen musical style(s). 4.    Articulate an informed personal reflection of the chosen musical style(s). 5. Communication skills: Students will demonstrate effective written, oral and visual communication. 6. Critical Thinking Skills: Students will engage in creative and/or innovative thinking, and/or inquiry, analysis, evaluation, synthesis of information, organizing concepts and constructing solutions.
Textbooks	Textbook Purchasing Statement: A student attending Lamar State College Port Arthur is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from the college-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer. American Popular Music from Minstrelsy to Mp3, 5th edition, Oxford University Press, 2018
Lecture Topics Outline	1. Themes and Streams of American Popular Music 2. "After the Ball": Popular Music of the 19th and Early 20th Centuries 3. "Catching as the Small-Pox": Social Dance and Jazz 1917-1935 4. "1 Got Rhythm": The Golden Age of Tin Pan Alley Song, 1920s and 1930s 5. "St. Louis Blues": Race Records and Hillbilly Music, 1920s and 1930s 6. "In the Mood" : the Swing Era, 1935-1945 7. "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie": The Postwar Era, 1946-1954 8. "Rock Around the Clock": Rock 'N' Roll, 1954-1959 9. "Good Vibrations": American Pop and the British Invasion, 1960s 10. "Blowin' in the Wind": Country, Soul, Urban, Folk, and the Rise of Rock, 1960s 11. The 1970s: Rock Music, Disco, and the Popular Mainstream 12. Outsiders' Music: Progressive Country, Reggae, Salsa, Punk, Funk, and Rap, 1970s 13. "Smells Like Teen Spirit": Hip-Hop, Alternative Music, and the Entertainment Business
Major Assignments Schedule	Week 1: Welcome, course introduction, syllabus review, Chapter 1 Week 2: Chapter 2 Week 3: Chapter 3 Week 4: Quiz #1, Chapter 4 Week 5: Chapter 5 Week 6: Chapter 6 Week 7: Quiz #2, Chapter 7 Week 8: Chapter 8 Week 9: Chapter 9 Week 10: Quiz #3, Chapter 10 Week 11: Chapter 11 Week 12: Chapter 12 Week 13: Quiz #4, Chapter 14 Final Exam
Final Exam Date	December 4, 2020 - 9:00 AM   Through  December 11, 2020 - 9:00 PM
Grading Scale	90 - 100=A    80 - 89=B    70 - 79=C     60 - 69=D    Below 59 = F
Determination of Final Grade	Attendance at Weekly Online Meetings - 30% Chapter Work: Key Terms, Listening, Review Questions - 30% Quizzes - 20% Final Exam - 20%
Course Policies
Instructor Policies	1. Attendance to weekly online meetings is required and is for a grade, plus you will be missed if you are not present. 2. Please email me any questions you have about assignments, but know that any emails sent after 5:00pm or on the weekends will receive a reply during the next business day. 3. Please do not address the instructor by their first name, unless they have given special permission to do so 4. Contacting your college instructors is an adult professional activity. Always write emails fairly formally, using a proper greeting and closing, correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation; be clear and detailed about who you are and what you need; make your purpose apparent in the subject line; most importantly, be polite. 5. The student is responsible for all information and material discussed in class, including class rules, department and college policies, and changes to the schedule or assignments. If forced to miss a class, it is the student’s responsibility to obtain accurate information regarding what was missed. Students should refer to the course syllabus and outline, contact a classmate and read the course announcements to get updated.
Attendance Policy	Research has shown a cause and effect relationship between attendance and college success. That is why it is so important that you attend each week's online meeting. Each week's meeting is for a grade and all you have to do is attend to receive the grade, which is 30% of the final grade for the course.
Academic Honesty	Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSC-PA policies (Section IX, subsection A, in the Faculty Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty.
Facility Policies	No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission. Use of electronic devices is prohibited.
Important Information
ADA Considerations	The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the the Office for Disability Services Coordinator, Room 231, in the Madison Monroe Building. The phone number is (409) 984-6241.
MyLSCPA	Be sure to check your campus E-mail and Course Homepage using MyLSCPA campus web portal (My.LamarPA.edu). When you've logged in, click the email icon in the upper right-hand corner to check email, or click on the "My Courses" tab to get to your Course Homepage. Click the link to your course and review the information presented. It is important that you check your email and Course Homepage regularly. You can also access your grades, transcripts, and determine who your academic advisor is by using MyLSCPA.
Other	•    Give yourself permission to learn. Education is all about learning. It is not designed to get it right the first time. If you already know everything, why are you here? Give yourself the space to try, to fail, to engage, to unlearn and to learn. The process is the product. Be patience with yourself and give yourself grace. •    Manage your time wisely. Please do not wait until the last minute to complete and submit your work •    Ask questions. Asking questions helps everyone. Learning doesn’t happen in a vacuum, it is a social activity that requires communication with multiple people. Questions are indicative of the presence and/or developing of the thinking skills that are critical to the success in this course. The more you ask questions, the more feedback I can give you because, I will have a better sense of where you are and where you are speaking from. •    Focus on the big picture, your grades don’t tell the whole story. I understand that grades are important to students but my goal is to ensure that you learn. Learning does not always result in a good grade. No one wants to make a low grade but my hope is that everyone is here to acquire new knowledge and skills. So, as your grades populate the grade book during the course of the semester, please remember that that is not the big picture. Many students drop classes before even 50% of their grade has been posted. Remember that the final grade is based on percentages. If you are not doing well mid semester, there is a great possibility you can pull your grade up considerably at the end of the semester if you apply yourself. Your grades are not an extension of who you are. Use your grades to indicator. Use them to tell you to get help when you need it, not to quit. Don’t give up on you.
HB 2504	This syllabus is part of LSC-PA's efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504.