Entangled Sounding Objects: Musical Instruments of Central Asia
CHUM 304
Fall 2023
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
ANTH 304, REES 204, FGSS 346 |
| Course Cluster and Certificates: Urban Studies |
Musical instruments exist at the intersection of material, cultural, and social worlds. Entangled in webs of human and non-human relationships, they are at once tangible and symbolic sounding objects that hold significant meanings for the communities they serve. This course will explore the social roles and cultural meanings of musical instruments in Central Asia, a region once traversed by the Silk Road, which extends from the borderlands of China in the east to the Caspian Sea in the west, and from Russia in the north to the frontiers of Afghanistan in the south.
Drawing on theories and ideas derived from interdisciplinary studies of material and sound culture, the course will examine how instrument making and performance are shaped by and entangled with social systems of value and cosmology, political ideology, ecology, and economy. Class meetings will focus on case studies of bowed and plucked lutes, zithers, mouth harps, end-blown flutes, and frame drums among historically nomadic and sedentary peoples of Central Asia. Through these case studies, students will learn about the origins and historical trajectories of individual musical instruments from the pre-modern period to the Soviet and post-Soviet eras; consider the social and political connotations of various performance configurations and repertoires; discuss the status of instruments in Islam and indigenous spiritual belief-systems, and the roles of musical instruments as symbols of national identity, objects of cultural heritage, and global commodities. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA CHUM |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (ANTH)(REES-Lang/Lit/C) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
THEODORE LEVIN, SAIDA DAUKEYEVA, AND ELMIRA KÖCHÜMKULOVA (EDS), THE MUSIC OF CENTRAL ASIA, INDIANA UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2016, WWW.MUSICOFCENTRALASIA.ORG
JOHN LAWRENCE WITZLEBEN AND XIAO MEI (EDS), PLUCKED LUTES OF THE SILK ROAD: THE INTERACTION OF THEORY AND PRACTICE FROM ANTIQUITY TO CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE, SHANGHAI CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC PRESS, 2019
ELIOT BATES, THE SOCIAL LIFE OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, ETHNOMUSICOLOGY 56(3), 2012
KEVIN DAWE, THE CULTURAL STUDY OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, THE CULTURAL STUDY OF MUSIC: A CRITICAL INTRODUCTION, EDITED BY MARTIN CLAYTON, TREVOR HERBERT AND RICHARD MIDDLETON, ROUTLEDGE, 2003
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Examinations and Assignments:
Weekly reading and listening assignments, Moodle posts, a creative project, and an oral presentation/performance. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
No special knowledge of music or Central Asian history and culture is required for participation in this course. All are welcome to attend. This course can count towards a Music Major's seminar requirement. |
| Instructor(s): Daukeyeva,Saida Times: .M..... 09:50AM-12:40PM; Location: MST301; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: 4 | JR major: 4 | | |
| Seats Available: 6 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 3 | JR non-major: 2 | SO: 2 | FR: X |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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