Two-page Response Papers

You must complete a total of five two-page response papers, including papers on four of the questions given below, each of which should be based on the appropriate class reading.  These should be stapled and typed with one-inch margins to allow for my comments; you should also proofread them for spelling, grammar, and typographical errors.  These four papers must be submitted in hard copy at the beginning of class on the day the relevant reading is due (see due dates given below), unless you are ill or have a family emergency.  In addition, you must attend one outside musical event and write a two-page reflection discussing your experience of the event as it relates to one of our course readings. 

When quoting passages from the readings in your papers, use the following method of citation:

As Father Aaron puts it, "'You may feel separated from grace right now, but in reality you are probably closer to it now than you ever were before'" (125).

Note that the final period goes after the citation of the page number in parentheses.  The same principle would apply if this ended with a question mark, exclamation point, semicolon or comma.

When you end a sentence with a passage that is set off by quotes (without a parenthetical citation), here's the basic rule:

•    commas and periods come before the quotation marks
•    semicolons and colons come after the quotation marks
•    question marks and exclamation points go before the quotation marks when they apply only to what is quoted and outside when they apply to the whole statement

I hope this is clear; if not, let me know.  Just to confuse matters further, British style differs from American style, so books published in Europe follow a different set of rules.

1.  Salzman (due 1/25):

Do you think the author is sympathetic to the character's religious experience, or does he explain it away as a medical problem?  Quote at least one passage in support of your position.

Note that you don't have to argue one or the other side if you think that the author both is sympathetic to her religious experience and explains it medically.

There's no clearly right or wrong answer to this question; I'm concerned to see how well you argue your position and how well your quote(s) support that position.

2.  Shweder (due 2/8):

Shweder argues that the character, eliciting circumstances, expression, and meaning of emotions vary greatly across cultures.  If this is the case, does it follow that our sense of a shared emotional identification with people from another culture may be misleading and therefore we should maintain emotional detachment if we want to understand them? Give an example of a personal experience that supports your position.

3.   Bhagavad Gita (due 2/27):

In chapter 11 of the BG, Arjuna begs for and is granted a direct vision of his charioteer Krishna's true divine nature.  Discuss what this vision reveals to Arjuna (quote at least one relevant passage here) and explain how it resolves Arjuna's moral dilemma.

4.   Sagan (due 3/20):

In the first essay we read by Richard Shweder, he observes:
"One of the central myths of the modern period in the West is the idea that the opposition between religion-superstition-revelation and logic-science-rationality divides the world into then and now, them and us.  According to this myth the world woke up and became good about three centuries ago when Enlightenment thinkers began to draw some distinctions between things that premodern thinkers had managed to overlook" ("The Astonishment of Anthropology," p. 2).

Define what Carl Sagan means by science (quoting appropriate passages from his work) and explain why you think he either does or does not subscribe to the position (or "myth") that Shweder describes above.

5.  Titon (due 4/12):

Titon, in his discussion of ethnomusicology, highlights a mode of knowing that is inter-subjective and that highlights personal experience in the context of human relationships.  The Sharf essay on "experience" that we read at the beginning of the semester is critical of appeals to personal experience in scholarly analysis.  Identify what you think are the key differences between these two approaches and explain which is more appropriate to the program in which you are majoring and why.

6.  Dewey (due 4/24):

Dewey argues strongly for the importance of real-life experience in the process of education, and for the relevance of the "scientific method" in coming to understand that experience.  Commenting on his emphasis on scientific analysis, he notes: "But the meaning of the emphasis placed on scientific method has little to do with specialized techniques.  It means that scientific method is the only authentic means at our command
for getting at the significance of our everyday experiences of the world in which we live" (p. 88).  What does Dewey mean by scientific method?  Explain why you agree or disagree with his statement.

Response to Personal Musical Experience

The intent of this assignment is to give you the chance to reflect critically on the nature of musical experience and on what you can learn from it. The Titon reading, which will be coming up on 4/12, raises some issues about ethnomusicology and the task of understanding music.  Our Shweder readings also raise questions about cross-cultural understanding. These provide useful background for thinking about what you experience at the concert, and your reflection paper should examine one issue raised in one of these readings in the context of your personal experience at the concert. I recommend that you review the readings before you attend and jot down passages that you think may be relevant. You should also take notes during or immediately after the concert so that you can recall specific aspects of the experience when you write your response. Be sure to include information on when and where the concert took place. This paper is due in class within one week of the event that you attend.



Copyright 2007 Kevin Trainor                                                                                          Last updated: 2/22/07