BCSC 260: Lecture Schedule (subject to change)

Only students who are enrolled in the course may access materials online. You must be logged into Blackboard to download these files.

Note: All assignments (i.e., Slack posts for research articles, quizzes, and other homework) are due BEFORE THE START OF CLASS on the date listed.

Date
Topic
Due
Thompson chapters (suggested)
Research articles (Slack posts required)
Other homework (Slack posts required)
Quizzes (required)
Unit 1: Introduction; Music and Evolution
01/21
Intro. to Music Cognition
 
01/23
Origins of Music
Thompson, Ch. 2
Pinker (1997)
McDermott & Hauser (2005)
01/28
Research Methods + Statistics
Levitin (1999); Windsor (2004)
(**These 2 are suggested, not required)
Unit 2: The Auditory System, Pitch, and Melody
01/30
Sound & the Auditory System
Thompson, Ch. 3
02/04
Pitch Perception and Related Issues
Schellenberg & Trehub (2003)
Quiz #1
02/06
Melody I - Gestalt Principles (For non-music students): Music Theory Review
Schellenberg et al. (1999)
02/11
Melody II - Memory
Thompson, Ch. 4
HW: Chrome Music Lab
02/13
Midterm Review
Quiz #2
02/18
Midterm #1
 
Unit 3: Tonality and Meter
02/20
Tonality I: Tonal Hierarchy
Research and Search Engines
Krumhansl & Shepard (1979) - Exp. 1 only
02/25
Tonality II: Key-Finding and Key Relations
 
02/27
Beat Induction & Meter
Quiz #3
03/04
Expectation
HW: Final Paper Proposal (upload to Bb)
Unit 4: Music, Brain, and Language
03/06
Brain Structure & Research Methods; Synaesthesia
Thompson, Ch. 6
HW: Expectation
03/18
Brain Research on Music; Paper Requirements (APA)
Schlaug (2001)
03/20
Language and Music
Patel (2005)
03/25
Exam Review; Academic Honesty
Quiz #4
03/27
Midterm #2
 
Unit 5: Musical Development and Performance
04/01
Infants I: Testing Methods
Thompson, Ch. 5
04/03
Infants II: Findings in Music Psychology
Hannon & Trehub (2005)
04/08
Music Performance
Thompson, Ch. 9
Quiz #5
Unit 6: Effects of Music: Emotion, Well-Being, Therapy
04/10
Emotion I: Theories
Thompson, Ch. 7
HW: Emotion in film
04/15
Emotion II: Experimental Findings
 
04/17
Music Liking and Preference
Final paper due (upload to Bb)
04/22
Music and Well-Being
Thompson Ch. 8
McDermott et al. (2014)
04/24
Power of Music: “Mozart Effect,” Music and Drugs
Thompson, Ch. 11
Rauscher et al. (1993)
Quiz #6
04/29
Exam Review
HW: Performance
05/01
Midterm #3