History of Jazz

MUS 106
Course Syllabus

Mark Berney
University of Rhode Island
 University of Rhode Island
Course Syllabus
History of Jazz
MUS 106
Sections 1 & 2
Term: Fall 2023
Term Dates: Sept. 6 – Dec. 12
Section 1: Tu/Th 9:30AM – 10:45AM
Section 2: Tu/Th 12:30PM - 1:45PM
Location: Fogarty Hall 214
Office Hours: by appointment

Faculty Name: Mark Berney

Email: [email protected]

Required Material:
• DeVeaux, Jazz: Essential Listening (second edition)
The e-book is here https://digital.wwnorton.com/jazz2ess
InQuizitive activities will be assigned from the eBook. Due dates will be announced.

Please watch the “How to Register for InQuizitive” video from the Start Here module in
your Brightspace course and follow the steps outlined there to register for the Jazz
Essentials 2E course materials.

First, click on the “eBook link” or the “How to Use InQuizitive” assignment link in
Brightspace. You will be able to access the course materials in one of three ways as
follows:

1. Enter a registration code.

oThe registration code that accompanied a new print copy of Jazz
Essentials, 2E.
2. Make an online purchase.
o You can purchase access directly online for $39.95 (180 day access to
the eBook and all digital resources).
3. Register via trial access.
o You can access InQuizitive (and chapters 1, 2 and 3 of the eBook) for 21
days with trial access. At the end of three weeks, you will have to enter
a registration code or purchase access online.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The nature and origin of jazz and its development as an American folk idiom: European
and African heritages, blues, ragtime, New Orleans, boogie-woogie, swing, bop, cool,
funky, gospel, jazz-rock, free-form, and progressive. (Lec. 3) (A4) (C3)

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• Appreciate jazz music through examination of cultural, social, and historical
factors that influenced the creation and development of the music using active-
listening techniques. (BA. 1.3; 1.4; 1.5)
• Identify the major influences and genres of jazz music, blues, ragtime, boogie-
woogie, swing, bop, cool, funky, gospel, jazz-rock, free-form, and progressive.
(BA. 1.1, 1.6) (BM. 4.1; 4.2)
• Listen, discuss, and write critically about music. (BA. 1.1, 1.6)
• Connect jazz music to its place in American history and to the present. (BM. 4.1;
4.2)
• Address culture and history from a variety of perspectives (BA. 1.3)

REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING:

40% InQuizitive Activities (4 units @10% each)
15% Midterm
20% Final
15% Live Concert Review Paper
10% Attendance and Participation

COURSE GRADING SCALE

A 93-100, A- 90-92, B+ 87-89, B 83-86, B- 80-82, C+ 77-79, C 73-76, C- 70-72,
D+ 67-69, D 60-66, F <60)
 WEEKLY SCHEDULE:
Week of: Topic Notes and Due Date

Sept. 7 Course Introduction,

The Roots of Jazz

Sept. 12 Fundamentals of music,

including rhythm, melody, and
harmony.
Sept. 19 New Orleans

Sept. 26 New York in the 1920’s No class Sept. 28

(instructor away)
Oct. 3 Louis Armstrong and the First Inquizitive Pt. 1
Great Soloists Early Jazz
Due Oct. 6
Oct. 10 Swing Bands
Oct. 17 Count Basie and Inquizitive Pt. 2
Duke Ellington The Swing Era
Due Oct. 20
Oct. 24 A World of Soloists Take-home midterm
available on Brightspace –
Due Oct. 27
Oct. 31 Bebop
Nov. 7 The 1950’s: Cool Jazz
and Hard Bop
Nov. 14 Modality: Miles Davis and John Inquizitive Pt. 3
Coltrane Modern Jazz
Due Nov. 17
Nov.21 No class this week.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Nov. 28 The Avant-Garde

Dec. 5 Fusion Concert Review due Dec. 8

(on Brightspace in “Assignments”)

Dec. 12 Jazz Today Inquizitive Pt. 4

Avante-Garde, Fusion…
Due Dec. 12
Dec. 14-20 Finals Weeks Take-home final on Brightspace
due Dec. 19
Concert Review: You will attend a live jazz concert of your choosing at the URI Fine
Arts Center (105 Upper College Road) and write a report of the performance. Dates and
details will be posted, but plan on an evening at the Fine Arts Center (105 Upper College
Road). Events and tickets can be found at: https://web.uri.edu/music/events/

NOTE: You may only review a concert that has occurred during the time of this course
and you may not write a concert report on a concert you attended prior to the starting date
of this course.

Attendance and Participation:

Regular attendance and participation are crucial to your success in the class. Attendance
will be taken with a QR code and will include pop quizzes and short writing assignments.

Late Assignment Policy:

The timely submission of assignments is fair to you to keep the course flowing at a steady
pace, fair to the instructor to allow for adequate grading time, and fair to your fellow
students who work hard and plan ahead to meet these deadlines.

Academic Honesty
Students are expected to be honest in all academic work. A student’s name on any written
work, quiz or exam shall be regarded as assurance that the work is the result of the
student’s own independent thought and study. Work should be stated in the student’s own
words, properly attributed to its source. Students have an obligation to know how to
quote, paraphrase, summarize, cite and reference the work of others with integrity. The
following are examples of academic dishonesty…

• Using material, directly or paraphrasing, from published sources (print or electronic) without
appropriate citation
• Claiming disproportionate credit for work not done independently
• Unauthorized possession or access to exams
• Unauthorized communication during exams
• Unauthorized use of another’s work or preparing work for another student
• Taking an exam for another student
• Altering or attempting to alter grades
• The use of notes or electronic devices to gain an unauthorized advantage during exams
• Fabricating or falsifying facts, data or references
• Facilitating or aiding another’s academic dishonesty
• Submitting the same paper for more than one course without prior approval from the instructors.
Anti-Bias Syllabus Statement: We respect the rights and dignity of each individual and group. We reject
prejudice and
intolerance, and we work to understand differences. We believe that equity and inclusion are critical
components for
campus community members to thrive. If you are a target or a witness of a bias incident, you are
encouraged to submit a
report to the URI Bias Response Team at www.uri.edu/brt. There you will also find people and resources to
help.
Disability, Access, and Inclusion Services for Students Statement: Your access in this course is important.
Please
send me your Disability, Access, and Inclusion (DAI) accommodation letter early in the semester so that
we have adequate
time to discuss and arrange your approved academic accommodations. If you have not yet established
services through
DAI, please contact them to engage in a confidential conversation about the process for requesting
reasonable
accommodations in the classroom. DAI can be reached by calling: 401-874-2098, visiting:
web.uri.edu/disability, or
emailing: [email protected]. We are available to meet with students enrolled in Kingston as well as
Providence courses.

Academic Enhancement Center: The Academic Enhancement Center (AEC) offers face-to-face and
online services to
undergraduate students seeking academic support. Services are based out of Roosevelt Hall, the Carothers
Library room
LL004, and online. Peer tutoring is available for STEM & BUS-related courses through the Drop-In Center
and small-group
tutoring. The Writing Center peer consultants offer feedback focused on supporting undergraduate writers
at any stage of a
writing assignment. The UCS 160 course and one-to-one Academic Skills Consultations offer strategies for
improving
studying and test-taking skills. Complete details about each of these programs, up-to-date schedules,
contact information,
and self-service study resources are all available on the AEC website, uri.edu/aec.
● STEM & BUS Tutoring helps undergraduate students navigate a variety of 100 and 200 level STEM &
BUS
courses through free peer tutoring in-person and online. Students can select occasional or weekly tutoring
sessions through the TracCloud system or visit the Drop-In Center, located in the Carothers Library lower
level
room LL004. The TracCloud application is available through URI Microsoft 365 single sign-on and more
detailed
information and instructions can be found at uri.edu/aec/tutoring.
● Academic Skills Development courses and programs teach students how to plan and apply time
management
and study strategies. UCS 160: Success in Higher Education is a one-credit course on strategic approaches
to
planning and studying. UCS 161x: Becoming a Self Directed Student teaches strategies for taking greater
control over their academic work and lives. Academic Consultations are 1 to 1 meetings that help
individual
students to address their academic challenges. Students can schedule in-person or online consultations with
David
Hayes on Starfish. Study Your Way to Success is a self-guided web portal connecting students to tips and
strategies on studying and time management related topics. For information or help with scheduling,
contact Dr.
Hayes directly at [email protected].
● The Undergraduate Writing Center provides peer writing support to students in any class, at any stage of
the
writing process: from understanding an assignment and brainstorming ideas, to developing, organizing, and
revising a draft. Writing consultations are available through 1) 25- or 50-minute in-person appointments, 2)
synchronous online appointments, and 3) asynchronous written feedback. Synchronous appointments
hosted
by WCOnline are video-based, with audio, chat, document-sharing, and live captioning capabilities, to
meet a
range of accessibility needs. View availability and book online at uri.mywconline.com. For more
information, visit
uri.edu/aec/writing.