Music 309/Judaic 392

Professor Emanuel Rubin Office: Rm. 719 Herter Hall Office Phone: (413) 545-4697 Class e-mail: erubin@music.umass.edu About the instructor

Click here to read: Course Description / Goals / Requirements /Grading Click here to go to the class Semester Schedule Click here to go to the "Additional Resources" page Click here for "Thought Questions on the chapters:" 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / Diaspora / Haskalah / Triumph & Tragedy Links to: UMass Library

I. Description: Music 309 surveys the place of music in Jewish life from the ancient world to the present, selecting topics from among the wide range of world cultures in which Jews have lived. It will look at materials in a variety of languages, but only the ability to read English is required, and the ability to read music is neither required nor assumed. Class work will include written assignments, music listening, learning class-appropriate songs, and videos. In addition, there will be a required field trip to a Saturday morning synagogue service to hear the liturgy, date to be announced. (top)

II. Goals:

• Acquaintance with a wide range of music that played (or plays) a role in Jewish culture, and an understanding of its role.
• Understanding the place of music in Judaism and its relayionship to Christianity adn Islam.
• Gaining ability to articulate the relationship of music to various aspects of Jewish life both orally and in writing.
• Learning a small repertory of songs representing various aspects of Jewish culture.
• Gaining knowledge of the basic bibliographical tools for the study of music in Jewish life. (top)

III. Requirements:

• Textbook: Rubin & Baron, Music in Jewish History and Culture. (Purchase from the Amherst Bookstore on Main Street)
• Website: Students are expected to familiarize themselves with all materials on this website, most especially the class schedule. Other pages on the website contain necessary supplementary class materials.
• Written work : Periodically throughout the term, brief expository papers of about 3-4 pages, double-spaced, will be assigned in lieu of quizzes during the semester. Paper assignments may be based on the "Thought Questions" listed for each chapter (See "Thought Questions," above) or on similar topics.
• Media Logs: Each student will keep a "media log" of all supplementary audio and video presentations in the course. Details about that is and how it is to be maintained will be explained in class. Media Logs will be evaluated periodically via e-mail for completeness. See class schedule for due dates. Click here for media log instructions.
• Final Exam . A take-home final exam in the form of one or more essay questions will be givn in lieu of an in-class final, The questions for the exam will be distributed at the last class and the exam will be due by e-mail one week later.
• Field Trip. One field trip will be scheduled to a Saturday morning synagogue service during the semester, usually to the Congregation B'Nai Israel synagogue in Northampton. Students should be prepared to attend that service (9:00 AM to Noon, followed by a free buffet lunch) . The date will be given on the class schedule and also announced in class. (Any student whose own religion forbids their presence at a Jewish service should make alternate arrangements with the instructor in advance.)
• Class Schedule: Students are responsible for the completion of work on the due dates found on the Class Schedule, which also gives the schedule of reading assignments and a other information relevant to this class can be Unexcused late work will be reduced by 25% of the grade for each day past the due date that the university is in session. (top)

IV. Grading: Semester Grades are based on the following:

• Three class papers, the first of which will count as 10% of the final grade, the second and third of which will each count as 15% of the final grade.
• Media Logs are to be turned in by e-mail three times during the semester . The first two "Media Log Checks" will count as 5% of the final grade, the third as about 10%.
• Take-Home Final, about 30% of the final grade.
• Class Participation, about 10% of the final grade.
• Unfortunately, it seems to be necessary to also state the following, which should be obvious in a college class:
  • Plagiarism is contrary to all academic standards and strictly forbidden. Written work is evaluated on the basis of being the student's own. A grade of "0" will be entered for any assignment for which that is not the case.
  • Good writing is as much a component of student work as knowledge of the course material, therefore written work will be evaluated on the basis of form as well as content. Spelling, grammar, and good writing will be taken into account in grading.
  • Attendance. It is assumed that as responsible adults students are aware of the importance of class attendance and can use good judgement in prioritizing their time, therefore minor attendance infractions will not play a significant role in grading; however, if a student accumulates more than three unexcused absences in a semester, attendance may negatively impact the final grade. (top)

IV. Communication with the instructor: (top)

• Student Conferences. Students should feel free to arrange individual conferences on any aspect of the class during the semester. This can be done by personal contact or e-mail.
• Contacting the Instructor: Aside from simply stopping to see him before or after class, the best way to contact the instructor is via e-mail, at erubin@music.umass.edu