Artist­ic and Aes­thet­ic Sem­in­ar II

• Year of study: Second 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, implementing and directing projects
• contribute to development and innovation in music life, the music business and other adjacent artistic fields
• possess an awareness of the various tasks of the composer within music, arts and culture

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 semester.

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

Students are 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 hold 1one presentation or talk where they clarify their own artistic production and aesthetic point of view (approx. 60 minutes).

Deadline: The presentation or talk must be completed and approved by course instructor by 15 April / 15 November in the second semester of the course

Final assessment

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

Assessment is based on learning objectives. 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. one reflection paper discussion a public institution of culture, where the student will assess the organisation's artistic profile as it is presented by their seasonal program, in relation to the institution's social responsibility. The student will propose changes to the organisation's work and profile based on their social responsibilities. Approx. 2000–3000 words
3. based on two separate lectures from guest speakers (1000–1500 words)
4. 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: Three copies of the exam portfolio must be handed into the exams office by 15 May / 15 December 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.