Artist­ic and Aes­teth­ic Sem­in­ar I

• Year of study: 1st year, two semesters.
• Final assessment: Exam portfolio.
• Prerequisites: Admission to Master of Music in Composition.
• Language of instruction: Norwegian and English.

Course description

The course is for all Master's students of composition. It will act as an arena for discussion of relevant artistic questions and raise awareness regarding students' roles as musicians and composers.

Learning objectives

On completion of the course, students are expected to

• show an ability to articulate and discuss musicological issues in a thoughtful, reflective manner
• show autonomy when meeting demanding artistic challenges, and by initiating and implementing projects
• be able to participate in Norwegian cultural debate

Overview

The course will elaborate and supplement work with the master project. Students needs and interest will be taken into account in the planning of the course. The content of this course should supply students with the ability to acquire knowledge that is not covered elsewhere in the master's curriculum. In addition to lectures in music, guest speakers will be invited from various artistic fields.

The course content is articulated in two sub-projects that will be planned, implemented and evaluated during the course. Examples of sub projects: articles, debates, conferences, workshops, plans for teaching and artistic projects.

The sub projects must be discussed and approved by the course instructor. Documentation of the projects is collected in a portfolio and will be included in the final assessment of the student.

Structure

The course is organised into 4–8 gatherings and seminars per semester. Gatherings may include lectures, student presentations, discussions, feedback and literature studies. Students will work independently with their personal sub projects. Artistic and aesthetic seminar I and II are co-taught. A course plan will be distributed at the start of the semester.

For an overview of the recommended scope of instruction, please see "Organisation" in the programme curriculum.

Students have registered automatically for instruction and assessment in accordance with study progress requirements determined by the individual education plan.

Course requirements

1. Active participation is mandatory. More than 20 % absence from class will normally result in a failing mark.
2. Students will present their own project(s) 1-2 times per year.

Final assessment

All course requirements must be approved prior to obtaining a final assessment.

Assessment is based on learning objectives. The final assessment is given as a pass/fail mark, which is determined based on each student’s exam portfolio. Assessment is done by two internal examiners, of which one will be the course instructor.

Exam portfolio

Students will assemble an exam portfolio including:

1. Documentation of two completed projects. Document format must be approved by the course instructor.
2. 2 Reflection papers based on two separate lectures from guest speakers (1000–1500 words).
3. Reference list of 500 pages supplementing and elaborating the Master's work. No more than 250 pages of which may overlap with the master project reference list.

Deadline: The exam portfolio must be completed by 15 May in the second semester of the course.

New assessment

In the case of re-assessment, the same procedures apply.

Syllabus

• Required reading: approx. 200 pages.
• Syllabus selected by student: approx 300 pages.