#md6216

[anyasmith]

week 6

todays lecture is about discourse analysis

‘discourses are the kinds of language we use to talk about something, and the assumptions that lie behind what we think, say and do.’ (long and wall 2009: 290)

in the popular media and  popular music, discourses function as master narratives that guide and shape our understanding and interpretation of what media/music is and what it means. most of the time, these master narratives remain invisible – their ‘truth’ is simply assumed. the power of discourse stems from its ability to remain unquestioned. we invoke various discourses without being aware we are doing so. in this sense, discourses can be said to ‘speak’ through us.  

the words we use to describe something or somebody mobilise different discourses, e.g.

 ‘pop star’  ‘celebrity’  ‘icon’     ‘singer’  ‘artist’  ‘artiste’  ‘musician’      ‘dancer’   ‘songwriter’  ‘performer’  ‘entertainer’  ‘business woman’  ‘role model’ ‘feminist’  ‘post-feminist’       ‘patriarchal accomplice’ ‘activist’  ‘philanthropist’ 

-25/10/22

[anyasmith]

week 5

today’s lecture is all about contextual analysis

contextual analyse is the method to analyse the environment in which the text is in. for example, a tree is textual, the mountains, sun and forrest are the context around it

in popular-music studies, ‘text’ and ‘context’ are often treated as being two halves of a single entity. for example, we can’t say what a song ‘means’ without considering what it means to a specific audience in a specific place and time 

context can be divided into social, historical and cultural factors

social factors are the kinds of things that sociologists examine: the structure of society and how people find their own identity and agency within it. it includes things like gender, class, ethnicity, sexuality, etc. as well as ‘institutions’ such as school, work, the family, etc

cultural factors relate to the wider culture, e.g. how a piece of music might be positioned in regard to texts from other media 

-18/10/22

[anyasmith]

week 4

this weeks lecture is about textual analysis

a ‘text’ is basically a piece of content. examples:

recordings

videos

live performances

sleeve designs

lyrics

logos

photos

memoirs

soundtracks

reviews

in music, the score has been thought of as the primary text. in popular-music studies, recordings have been given primacy. as musical culture becomes more and more visually orientated, this is changing; youtube videos are now a common way to access and ‘consume’ music 

a text can be a collection of signs. signs are something that stand for something else to somebody. 

semiotics is the meaning something has to something. there are two levels of meaning; denotation (the literal meaning) and connotation (related feelings/meanings)

-11/10/22

[anyasmith]

week 3

todays lecture is all about research methods

ethnography is the scientific description of peoples and cultures

data is collected through observations and interviews, which are then used to draw conclusions about how societies and individuals function

ethnographic researchers contextualise their findings in relation to (1) their interviewees’ circumstances and social position, and (2) wider social and cultural trends

surveys and interviews:

conducting a survey using a questionnaire

questionnaires usually contain quantitative questions, i.e. ‘closed’ questions that elicit a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer

or questions that ask you to give a value from 1-5 based on your thoughts, feelings and experiences

interviewing is  an example of qualitative research BUT it is more like a conversation 

you need to ask for signed consent from your interviewees so that their responses can be included when the research is presented at conferences or published 

online focus groups:

usually recorded and transcribed

the interviewees’ responses can then be analysed using a combination of textual analysis and discourse analysis 

take no longer than an hour

textual analysis looks at the meanings inherent in a single interviewee’s responses 

discourse analysis traces patterns of meaning across the responses of different interviewees 

participant observation:

involves participating in musical scenes that one would not normally be part of, in order to experience and observe, at first hand, what they’re all about 

it involves describing and analysing the often-complex social relations that comprise specific musical ‘events’

 for the research that led to her book, club cultures, sarah thornton (1995) went clubbing (and took ecstasy), having gained the trust of some willing ‘informers’ in the uk dance scene, who agreed to accompany her 

summarise:

interviewing, focus groups and participant observation is field work

it is qualitative research

it enables you to test out ideas with specific groups of people

it asks you to draw your research triangle between the data (what your chosen people have to say), the trends that data reveals and the literature in the area of study

research ethics

-04/10/22

[anyasmith]

week 2

research: what’s it for?

leads you to question below the surface

enables you to see trends

builds critical thinking

can be surprising 

research isn’t about describing something

it’s about finding meaning, trends, patterns and connections 

also:

it’s not just about doing the reading

it’s not just doing internet surfing

it’s not just doing a bit of looking around and having an opinion on something

2 halves of research:

primary research- where you analyse your main subject of study

secondary research- you read around your topic using journal articles, academic books, and other good-quality sources

The two halves of research

You do secondary research BEFORE or

ALONGSIDE primary research. By reading what other people have written in your area of research, you can:

• trace the history of a debate

" build on what they've already done, e.g. by applying their ideas to a different object of study.

you could look at music and emotion: take one soundtrack and see how things work

music and emotion: 3 routes 

interviews with a selected group

textual analysis of songs coded as ‘sad’

history/context or use of music in party political broadcasts 

-27/09/22

[anyasmith]

week 1

harvard referncing app: zotero

work independently on a piece of research related to a field of academic, practical or commercial interests 

subject and title is negotiated and agreed with a supervisor

able to work towards a choice of 2 formats and present their project as an essay or an audiovisual essay

expectations:

be here on time

be here. be present. make sure you are ready to work

inform gary of absences

no phones 

take notes

be respectful of others!

use email

if you need help ask

sem 1

introduce us to a range of research method to understand the motivations and processes of research and establish a methodology for your project

engage us in key planning and communication storage shoes

how to design a. research question

how to reference

develop and research strategy and submit a proposal for the content and format of their project 

sem 2

work independtly to complete and develop their project

tutors will provide advice and comment on drafts

learning outcomes

identify and systematically interrogate a coherent body of knowledge in an appropriate area of study

critically evaluate the theoretical approaches appropriate to the subject and formulate coherent arguments that are underpinned by research materials

communicate clearly and effectively, using a range of appropriate formats, acknowledging the scale of the project and demonstrating a command of language, structure and argument.

work proactively to develop a study plan, hit agreed targets and develop an expansive body of research that clearly draws on a wide variety of resources and materials

supervisor:

allocated a supervisor based on your research topic and areas of expertise 

entitled to 5x30 min meetings

supervisor will mark both assessments

assessment 1:

2000 word research proposal

template is provided for us

intro

research project ad why is it important

critical contexts

methodology

conclusion 

assessment 02:

write your disseration

task:

spend 15 mins thinking about things within your industry that have struck a chord with you, or that you repeatedly think about or notice

do a quick google search of some key terms that resonate with you and see what appears in the news if you are struggling

make a list of 3-5 of these

get into groups of 3-5 and share a few of these

which would you want to follow up on?

which are you most passionate about?

which do you want most people to care about?

what i am interested in:

over 80% of 3-5 year olds have an ipad or tablet

if noise is a song then is tinnitus music?

importance of music in deaf education

music snobbyness: we judge people based on our music taste. why is this? why does listening to a certain type of music define your personality?

https://moodle.glos.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/2342324/mod_resource/content/1/The%20Research%20Project%20slides.pdf

-20/09/22