Music

1A
Music, the Mind, and Human Behavior
Professor Jonathan Berger
Wed 3:30-5:20
Knoll 217
Credits: 3 units
UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
Grading: Letter or Credit/No Credit
Office hours: Mondays 1-3 or by arrangement (Knoll 301)
Email: brg@ccrma.stanford.edu

Course Assistant:
Chris Lortie (office hours TBA)

Course summary:
Music is a pervasive and fundamental aspect of human existence. The class will
introduce aspects of music perception and cognition together with anthropological
and cultural perspectives to explore the phenomenon of music.

Syllabus
Week 1
April 4 – Questioning music behavior
What is music? How old is it?
Week 2
April 11– Is there an evolutionary basis of music?
Week 3
April 18 – Hearing and listening - How do we listen, how do we hear? Modes of
listening
Week 4
April 25 – Introduction to emotion and music. Do animals engage with music?
Week 5
May 2 –From the ear to the brain - on recorded sound
Week 6
May 9 – time, rhythm, meter
Week 7
May 9 - performance
May 11 – 12 MAB
Week 8
May 23– No class
Week 9
May 30 – music and engagement then and now
Week 10
June 6 – Wrap up

FINAL: June 12, 3:30 - final papers due.

Music 1A - Grading rubric:

Attendance
and 20%
participation

Imagine that you are an alien trying to understand human behavior.

Attend (at least!) 2 concerts (any genre/culture) during the quarter. Select 1 musical excerpt
from each concert and:
1. BRIEFLY describe the work incorporating terms and concepts discussed in class.
Concert
20% 2. Describe interactions between performer(s) and audience, and among audience and
reports
performers.
3. Include the concert program and a selfie of yourself at the event.
Submit to Coursework.
Extra credit for each additional review beyond 2

Mid-term 20% (on coursework) available April 29 – DUE May 1 9AM.

Choose from the list or questions discussed in class, or suggest your own question (to be
approved by me). Describe the question, its significance, current theories (with citations), a
Term
plausible hypothetical explanation, a proposed behavioral experiment to test your hypotheses ,
project:
a description of a pilot experiment, results and discussion.
Questioning 40%
Project results will be presented as a conference-style poster and discussed in class in the last
Musical
class.
Behavior
I will be happy to read and give comment on outlines and drafts at any stage of preparation.

Honor code: Adherence expected and enforced