Courses

This course covers the history of Zionism in the wake of the Haskala in mid nineteenth century Europe and its development at the turn of the century through the current 'peace process' between the state of Israel and the Palestinian national movement. The course examines the impact of Zionism on European Jews and on Asian and African Jews on the one hand, and on Palestinian Arabs on the other --in Israel, in the Occupied Territories, and in the Diaspora.

Prerequisites: MDES UN1214-UN1215, or the equivalent $15.00= Language Resource Fee, $10.00 = Materials Fee Improvement of writing and speaking skills through compositions, class discussions, and presentations in Arabic on topics such as areas and cultures of the Middle East; classical and modern Arabic literature; and current, authentic materials available from Middle Eastern sources. Review of grammatical and syntactic rules as needed.

An introduction to the potential of digital sound synthesis and signal processing. Teaches proficiency in elementary and advanced digital audio techniques. This course aims to challenge some of the tacet assumptions about music that are built into the design of various user interfaces and hardware and fosters a creative approach to using digital audio workstation software and equipment.  Permission of Instructor required to enroll. Music Majors have priority for enrollment.

This class offers insight through composing, analysis, and performance for the composer, singer/songwriter, and performance artist. Coupling specifics of rhythm, melody, and harmony with story telling, lyric writing and the voice itself, students will be encouraged to share their imagination in song regardless of style, genre, or aesthetic. Music ranging from Chant to Music Theatre, the German lied to international pop fusion will be included as models upon which to base discussion and creative endeavor. Improvisation and musicianship techniques will complement pedagogical presentations of tonal and non - tonal compositional practice. A required final project based on any combination of composition, analysis, and performance, and in any media will be due at the end of the semester. All levels of experience and all types of instruments are welcome. Notation software is recommended but not required.

An introduction to the history and theory of film music. We will survey the development of film-musical art, beginning with accompaniment to silent film in various national contexts, through the emergence of the Hollywood studio model, continuous changes in the use of popular song across a range of cinemas (including but not limited to “New Hollywood”), and ending with contemporary examples of music’s role in integrated sound design.

Prerequisites: the instructor's permission. Main objective is to gain a familiarity with and understanding of recording, editing, mixing, and mastering of recorded music and sounds using Pro Tools software. Discusses the history of recorded production, microphone technique, and the idea of using the studio as an instrument for the production and manipulation of sound.

PHIL UN2101 is not a prerequisite for this course. Exposition and analysis of central philosophical problems as discussed by innovative thinkers from Aquinas through Kant. Authors include figures like Descartes, Elisabeth of Bohemia, Spinoza, Anne Conway, Leibniz, Berkeley, Hume, Émilie du Châtelet, and Kant. ,