Music + Meaning

Philosophy’s Intersections With Contemporary Music

 

Course Description

An examination of Western philosophy’s major movements and thinkers considered alongside the philosophies of music within their respective eras, examining how canonical figures interact and evaluate music as a form of art. This class will also cultivate aesthetic reflection with respect to contemporary music and it’s interactions with modern and post-modern philosophy.

 

Text Options

*** The Routledge Companion to Philosophy and Music by Theodore Gracyk (Editor), Andrew Kania (Editor), 2013

 

       ** On Music (Thinking in Action) by Theodore Gracyk, 2013

 

       * Aesthetics and Music by Andy Hamilton, 2007

 

Small online and/or printed resources with overviews of historical figures will also be provided. Multimedia plays a significant role in practical application of the aesthetic skills covered in lectures.

 

Central 6

 

1. Discipline Knowledge is made active in this course by learning the commonly used terminology of philosophical aesthetics, musical terminology, and familiarity with proper names in philosophical history.

 

2. Leadership occurs in this course via group projects and presentations, with the accountability of not only grading requirements, but peer interaction and learning.

 

3. Research, Scholarly and Creative Activities are enacted in this course via presentations, reflective written projects, and research driven written projects, all with an eye to the interdisciplinary collisions of philosophy and music.

 

5. Global and Cultural Competencies are developed by familiarity with Western (and a few non-Western) philosophical movements and thinkers, paired with competency of major musical styles and techniques, and the corresponding composers.