Studying at York
Sound Studies - MUS00186H
- Department: Music
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: H
- Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
Module summary
This module will focus broadly on the theoretical field of Sound Studies, with an emphasis on recorded media and recording technologies, and musical instruments, interfaces and infrastructures, both in terms of production and consumption. You will learn how to interpret, discuss and critically engage with sound and sound technologies in the modern world, through the study of presents and histories of sound.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2024-25 |
Module aims
As musicians, engineers, artists and practitioners, we engage with sound on a regular basis through listening, recording, and music-making. Much like the material and visual in the modern world, sound plays a part in how we interact with society, commerce, design, and culture. This module aims to look critically at the meanings of sound that we engage with (as both ‘civillians’ and practitioners of music) and what they represent. It will take a broader look at how sound is represented in the field of sound studies, not just as an aural phenomenon, but also as something that manifests itself materially, through technologies, instruments, interfaces and infrastructures.
Throughout the module, we will look at a variety of scholars’ approaches to Sound Studies and aligned fields, and might explore topics such as musical instrument and sound technology design (e.g. Emily Dolan’s discussion around the significance of Papageno's pipes in the Magic Flute), sound and consumption in the modern world (e.g. Sumanth Gopinath’s account of the musical greeting card as a metaphor for capitalist supply chains), sound and disability studies (e.g Jonathan Sterne’s account of disability and the voice), sound and gender (e.g. in Tara Rodgers’ discussion of synthesisers and the masculinity) and much more. The module will also take a significant focus toward the under-researched areas of Sound Studies in the Global South, outside of the Western narratives that dominate much of the scholarship in the area (e.g. Pablo Dodero’s discussion of translingual Mexican guitar pedals). The module will emphasise collaborative learning, and students will take part in lecture/seminars, listening sessions and small group discussions to propose, debate and discuss their own perspectives on sound. They will draw on their experiences as independent musicians, sound recordists, and practitioners working with sound to generate personal, research-informed perspectives, ultimately producing written work and/or a podcast or practice-based work as part of their assessment.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the taught part of the project you should be able to:
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Articulate an understanding of core concepts, terminology and debates in sound studies, using examples to illustrate them;
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Critically engage with material presented and apply it to written and practical work;
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Develop critical listening skills and apply the aural to culture and society more broadly;
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Evaluate broader theories in sound studies and relate it to your everyday experiences and broad experiences as sound practitioners (as musicians, engineers, sound artists, fans etc…).
Third years: On completion of the module, in your independent work, you should demonstrate learning outcomes C1-6 and, depending on submission route, C9, C10 and/or C12. https://www.york.ac.uk/music/undergraduate/modules/learning-outcomes/
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 40 |
| Essay/coursework | 60 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
For this assessment students must produce 1 piece of practical work alongside a critical literature review, providing the theoretical background to the practical work. There are two options for the practical work as follows:
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Podcast: 10-15 minute podcast on an area of Sound Studies of the student’s choice to be discussed with the module tutor. The podcast may be journalistic in tone, but must be supported by the accompanying literature review.
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Soundscape composition, installation or other piece of substantial practical work (to be agreed with the module tutor): For this option the student will produce a piece of work that engages with theoretical areas in Sound Studies through practice. The work should be around 9 minutes long and must be supported by the accompanying literature review.
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 40 |
| Essay/coursework | 60 |
Module feedback
You will receive written feedback in line with standard University turnaround times.
Indicative reading
Dolan, Emily, and Alexander Rehding. ‘Timbre: Alternative Histories and Possible Futures for the Study of Music’. In The Oxford Handbook of Timbre. Oxford University Press, 2021.
Goodman, Steve. Sonic Warfare : Sound, Affect, and the Ecology of Fear. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2010.
Gopinath, Sumanth, The Ringtone Dialectic: Economy and Cultural Form, Boston, MA: The MIT Press, 2013.
Kim-Cohen, Seth. Against Ambience and Other Essays. New York: Bloomsbury, 2016.
Robinson, Dylan. Hungry Listening. 1st ed. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2020.
Rodgers, Tara. Pink Noises : Women on Electronic Music and Sound. Durham [N.C.]: Duke University Press, 2010.
Sterne, Jonathan. The Audible Past : Cultural Origins of Sound Reproduction. Durham : Duke University Press, 2003.
Tresch, John, and Emily I. Dolan. ‘Toward a New Organology: Instruments of Music and Science’. Osiris (Bruges) 28, no. 1 (2013): 278–98.