(NB — our UBC colleague Prof. Michael Tenzer is at the back, in the cream shirt.).
Undergraduate students are introduced to some of the key concepts of ethnomusicology in a core curriculum course called Introduction to Music & Society (HMU111). Those interested in pursuing more in-depth analyses of the ways in which people enact their lives and their social relationships through music may choose to complete their core requirements with a newly-designed course called Global Popular Musics (HMU245). Each year we offer 300-level electives on various subjects, and a 400-level seminar that prepares students for a deeper engagement with the history and theory of the discipline, and which tackles many of the essential topics of current interest to ethnomusicologists.
Many undergraduates are enthusiastic participants in our World Music Ensembles, which provide wonderful opportunities to encounter first-hand other world traditions, to think about music differently, and learn through alternative methods.
Our undergraduate courses are open to all, but those interested in pursuing ethnomusicology further, embarking on graduate study, fieldwork and research, may wish to pursue the BMus in Music History & Theory, or ideally the Music History & Culture Minor Program. The Undergraduate Calendar gives further details about those specialist programs as well as course descriptions, and the Timetable lets you know when these courses are scheduled.
We also offer a Certificate in World & Popular Musics. There are two options:
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- World and Popular Musics with Ensemble Option (1.67 FCE)
• HMU345H1 Global Popular Musics
• One of
— any HMU300–level elective in Ethnomusicology
— HMU433H1 Topics in Ethnomusicology: Introduction
— HMU435H1 Topics in Ethnomusicology: Current Issues
(Other related courses may be approved)
• Any two WME-World Music Ensembles - World and Popular Musics (1.5 FCE)
• HMU345H1 Global Popular Musics
• Two of
— any HMU300–level elective in Ethnomusicology
— HMU433H1 Topics in Ethnomusicology: Introduction
— HMU435H1 Topics in Ethnomusicology: Current Issues
(Other related courses may be approved)
- World and Popular Musics with Ensemble Option (1.67 FCE)
If you would like more information about studying ethnomusicology, you can speak with the Faculty of Music’s Registrar, the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, or, better still, speak with our ethnomusicologists on faculty who will be pleased to advise you. And for those thinking of graduate study, speaking with our current graduate students will also provide very useful perspectives.
