MUS 121: Writing About Music: Gender and Sexuality!

Spring 2024, SEC 002, 3 units, 01/29/2024 – 5/16/2024, MW, 1:40-2:55 PM

Poe M. Allphin (he/him), Adjunct Lecturer

Email musqueens@gmail.com to submit assignments and ask questions.

Office hours by appointment on Zoom. 

Course Description and Objectives

In this class, we will read, write, and talk about popular, classical, folk, and theatre music through the lenses of gender, sexuality, race, and disability. We will use these topics as a guide through various writing forms, such as the research paper, the multimedia article, the album review, program notes, the personal narrative, and the interview. These types of writing are assigned throughout the course as reading material so that we may discuss each form before it is due as a writing assignment. We will also focus on identifying and evaluating arguments and sources used in the writings we will read throughout the semester. As this is a writing course, the editing and revision stages are important components of each project, which is why the course culminates in the Final Portfolio.  Students should emerge from this class with increased skills in critical reading, as well as comfort writing in a range of styles.  

My Course Policies  

1. Communicate! If you think you may be unable to submit an assignment on time, please just let me know beforehand. If there is an emergency, first take care of yourself and others and then communicate with me when you can. You do not need to provide personal or medical details, but you do need to keep me in the loop. Note: I do not respond to emails on the weekends or evenings, but will respond to most weekday emails within 48 hours.

2. Please let me know at any point if you have accessibility needs that are not being met by this course, whether or not they are accommodations through The Office of Special Services for Students with Disabilities. For example, I am disabled and often need to sit while I teach. QC Reasonable Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Candidates with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: 1) register with and provide documentation to the Special Services Office, Frese Hall, Room 111; 2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type. This should be done during the first week of class. For more information about services available to Queens College candidates, visit the website, or contact: Special Service Office; Director, Miriam Detres-Hickey, Frese Hall, Room 111; 718-997-5870.  

3. No plagiarism. For the purposes of this class, this includes using AI such as ChatGPT. If you are having trouble finding quality sources, do not know how to paraphrase, or are unsure of how to properly cite your sources, reach out to me and we can work on that together. Never copy and paste from the internet without both critically evaluating your source and indicating that it is a quote by putting it in quotation marks (“ ”) and showing where you got the information by citing the source. If you paraphrase (significantly rewrite but use the information), you still need to cite your source (indicate where you got the information). Citation can take the form of endnotes, footnotes (Chicago), parentheses for in-text citation (MLA), and bibliographies (many styles), depending on the citation style. I use Chicago Style for my own work but if you are familiar with another style, you should use that one. See the resources section of the syllabus for more information.

Homework and Grading

You are expected to come to class having read, listened, or watched any assigned material for that day. To spark discussions, you should prepare at least one question or comment on at least one of each day’s materials. You should also plan to visit the Writing Center at least once during the semester. There are often several reading or listening assignments for a given day, but often many of them are short (e.g., an interview with a musician or an album review). The rest of the homework and grading breakdown is as outlined in the homework schedule. Writing assignments that are your original work, address the prompt, and are submitted in a timely manner will be given full credit. The graded final portfolio gives you a chance to edit, workshop, and revise your writing based on feedback from me and your classmates. See rest of website for more detailed information on each writing assignment as well as reading/listening materials.