Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Popular Music in America (Face-to-Face)

MUSC 1020-02

Course: MUSC 1020-02
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: MUSC
CRN: 31239

Course Description

This course will explore the rich and diverse genres of popular music in America from their origins to their development in the 20th century. (Fall, Spring) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Registration Restriction(s): Intensive English Program majors may not enroll General Education Category: Fine Arts

Required Texts

Optional textbook: American Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MP3 | Starr, Waterman
Required App/Program: Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, or some other music streaming application.

Learning Outcomes

Through participation in this course, students will improve their Information Literacy and Intercultural Knowledge skills referenced in the SUU Essential Learning Outcomes (see https://www.suu.edu/academics/provost/pdf/elo-definitions.pdf). 

Information Literacy skills are improved through completion of individual projects on music groups, individuals or styles.  These assignments require the students to do research in their area of interest and provide proper works cited.  The students will be graded on the quality of original ideas being supported by researched material. 

Intercultural Knowledge
skills are improved by being taught about various musical aspects and the cultural implications of each.  Students will receive a greater appreciation of music and the people who helped create it. 

Course Requirements

Students will be able to:
  1. Discuss the scope and variety with the fine arts (i.e., art, music, theatre, or dance)
  2. Recognize the aesthetic standards used in making critical judgments in various artistic fields
  3. Analyze and articulate understanding of a range of artistic processes
  4. Participate as an active contributor to the performance, production, exhibition, or design process in the Fine Arts
  5. Demonstrate how the creative process is informed and limited by social and historical contexts. 

Course Outline

Tests/Exams: There will be four tests during the semester. Test questions will include material taken from lectures/discussions, and videos shown in class. The exams will consist of multiple choice, true/false, and music identification. Only university-sponsored events are acceptable excuses for missing an exam. All tests will be in the testing center for 3 days. You will need to bring your own corded-headphones.

Video Projects: There will be two video projects you will need to do. The first will be a one minute video about your favorite song. The other will be a group project on a topic of your choosing.

Canvas Homework/Assignments: Throughout the semester you will be given work to be completed through Canvas.  Homework assignments received after the due date will be automatically deducted by 50%. You will need to be in class to get the full details of the homework assignments. Some assignments will be in-class assignments, some will be homework. You will be given three days to complete homework assignments, or the first ten minutes of class for in-class assignments.

Grading

Categories:                      Weight: 
4 Exams                             65%   
Video Projects                    25% 
Canvas Assignments         10%

A      100% to 94%
A-     94% to 90%
B+    90% to 87%
B      87% to 84%
B-     84% to 80%
C+    80% to 77%
C      77% to 74%
C-     74% to 70%
D+    70% to 67%
D      67% to 64%
D-     64% to 60%
F      60% to 0%

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Assignments:  Homework assignments and video presentations received after the due date will be automatically deducted by 50%
Exams: Only extreme illness and university-sponsored events are acceptable excuses for missing an exam. Allowing a makeup exam must be confirmed with written documentation. 

Attendance Policy

While attendance does not account for a specific portion of the final grade, absent students will miss out on the content of the lectures, and may miss out on in-class activities that are worth points. Students shall inform their instructor of dates they will miss class due to an excused absence prior to the date of that anticipated absence. For activities whose schedules are known prior to the start of the semester, students must provide their instructors a written schedule during the first week of the semester showing days they expect to miss class. For other university-excused absences, students must provide each instructor the earliest advanced notice of the classes they will miss.

Content Warning

We will be listening to music and watching interviews that contain profanity or sensitive materials.

AI Misuse

In this course, students are allowed to use AI tools such as ChatGPT and Grammarly in moderation. However, students are not permitted to submit an annotation, reflection, essay, or other non-exam activity that is entirely generated by means of any AI tool (even if it isn’t listed here). Note that if you submit AI-generated information which is incorrect, misleading, or hallucinated in any assignment, you are taking responsibility for it. Exams are explicitly and totally excluded from the use of AI tools; use of AI on exams will result in a 0.

Students who use AI tools to generate or alter any portion of an assignment or activity—including the use of Grammarly—must credit the tool in the Works Cited; clearly label with Word’s highlight tool which part(s) of the submission were generated by the AI tool; and in an appendix at the paper’s conclusion, briefly explain why an AI tool and the resulting output were used on the item. Examples of how to do this may be found in the “Module 1 Annotation” assignment. The explanation of how the AI was used does not count towards the assignment’s word count. Failure to provide this explanation, submitting a vague or AI-written statement, and/or not highlighting the exact portions of the paper that were altered with AI will be treated as plagiarism due to the lack of proper citation.

Using AI incorrectly is cheating & will result in penalties up to and including disciplinary measures through the Dean of Students Office.

Disclaimer

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.