MUSC 744: Takemitsu and His Contemporaries 1

Fall 2017

Research Project Instructions

This semester, you will undertake a research project on a topic on exoticism in music, culminating in a research
paper and an oral presentation. It must be a detailed study of the issue you select, must have a single main point and
a convincing argument, and must represent your own independent work and thinking, reflecting thorough research
and original interpretation.

You should consider the paper an ongoing project that you work on each week. Your project will unfold in several
stages, with the following due dates. These stages are designed to facilitate the process of conceiving and writing a
research paper in music history and to allow for frequent feedback by your peers and instructor. Detailed
instructions on each stage are given below.

Each assignment is due to the instructor at the beginning of the lecture. The research project is 30% of the course
grade, with each assignment graded separately.

GUIDELINES
Topic: Choose a topic related to the content of the class: one or more compositions by Takemitsu, biography and/or
works of other Japanese or East Asian composers who shared similar concerns with Takemitsu, connections between
Takemitsu and European and American composers, compositions and composers addressing the issues engaged by
Takemitsu (cultural synthesis, nature, dream, etc.), music for film and other media by Takemitsu and/or others, etc.
Your topic must be approved by the instructor. You may design your paper according to your own interests and the
publications you locate. You should avoid writing a paper that is encyclopedic in scope, addressing every possible
issue surrounding the topic of your choice, but should aim to focus on certain aspects of the topic. Remember, you
have limited time to produce a research paper!

Purpose: The purpose of your paper is to convey your main argument (thesis) to the reader. Leave out anything that
does not directly accomplish that purpose. Avoid telling the reader everything you know, or filling in unnecessary
background information. Make sure that the thesis is stated near the beginning, that each part of the paper supports
the thesis in some way, and that the relation of each paragraph to the overall argument for your thesis is clear.

Style: While the content is of utmost importance, all assignments must also be typed or printed by computer with
clear dark type, double-spaced in standard font (e.g. Times New Roman, 12 points), have one-inch margins, and must
be polished in respect to grammar, spelling, punctuation, form, and style as defined in Kate L. Turabians A Manual
for Writers, 8th ed. (a copy of this book is available at the reference collection of Bracken Library; the call number is
LB2369 .T8 2013), including correct format for footnotes (or endnotes) and bibliography. The length of paper should
be between 12 and 15 pages (36004500 words), not including figures and musical examples.

POLICIES
As stated in the syllabus, the University of South Carolina Honor Code will be strictly enforced. Plagiarism (using
someone elses works or ideas without giving proper credit intentionally or unintentionally), cheating, or the
misrepresentation of your work on any level will not be tolerated and could result in the failure of part or all of the
course and additional disciplinary action. Assignments may be periodically and randomly submitted to an academic
integrity website. For more information, please visit the website of the Office of Academic Integrity:
https://www.sa.sc.edu/academicintegrity/

DEADLINES
In order to make the class function well, including the peer review groups, we cannot be flexible about deadlines,
except for an excused absence for a medical or other emergency. Late assignments will drop one letter grade for each
24-hour period the assignment is late. Last-minute computer failure or printing delays are not acceptable excuses
for late assignments. Make sure that you have multiple current back-up files and allow more than adequate time for
the computer to print the assignment.
MUSC 744: Takemitsu and His Contemporaries 2
Fall 2017

Assignment 1: Topic Proposal (ungraded)
Due Wednesday, September 13

The purpose of this assignment is to encourage you to choose a topic early in the semester and design a methodology
suitable for it for the research project. Your topic must be approved by the instructor before you move on to the other
assignments.

Write a brief statement of about 150200 words that describes the topic that interests you and explain how you would
like to explore it. If you know the composers or compositions you would like to examine in your research paper,
explain how they fit the topic of your choice.

Bring four copies of your proposal (one for the instructor, two for your classmates, and one for yourself). During the
class, we will divide into small peer-review groups and exchange each others topic proposal to discuss and
brainstorm possible ways of conducting the research.

Assignment 2: Preliminary Bibliography with Summaries of Two Items (ungraded)

Due Friday, September 23

The purpose of this assignment is to encourage you to build a bibliography early in the semester to allow enough
time to collect useful sources (requests made through inter-library loan may take few weeks to arrive) and to start
reading some of the materials on your bibliography.

Compile a bibliography consisting of 1015 items related to the topic or useful for your paper (including items on
related subjects). You should aim to create a varied and balanced bibliography containing books from university and
trade presses, journal articles (printed or online), dissertations, and other scholarly materials that will be helpful to
include, especially recent ones. Each item should be in correct bibliographic format as described in chapter 17 of
Turabians A Manual for Writers, 8th ed.

You should avoid relying heavily on general music history textbooks, since, with few exceptions, they are not based
on original research. You should also avoid consulting or including in your bibliography sources drawn from most
websites, except those that have been evaluated by reputable scholars before publication (such as the extended
articles on Grove Music Online).

There are various online resources useful for this assignment including Grove Music Online, RILM Abstracts, IIMP,
and WorldCat. You are strongly recommended to consult the instructor or the music librarian if you need help using
these resources or have any other reference questions.

At this point in your project, it is expected that you have read some (but not all) of the sources listed on your
bibliography. Pick two items on your bibliography and, on a separate page (or pages), write a short summary (200
300 words), describing what it contains and why it is useful for your paper, for each item.

Bring copies for your peer group and the instructor. During the class, we will divide into small peer-review groups
and exchange each others bibliography to discuss and brainstorm possible ways of conducting the research.

How to Recognize Plagiarism Tutorial and Test

Due Monday, October 16

See more information on the handout Understanding Plagiarism. Assignments 35 will not be graded until you
have successfully completed the tutorial.
MUSC 744: Takemitsu and His Contemporaries 3
Fall 2017

Assignment 3: Prospectus and Bibliography (2.5% of course grade)
Due Monday, October 2

The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate that you have thoroughly researched your topic and have begun to
plan what you will say in your paper.

Write a brief statement of about 250500 words (a page or two, double-spaced) in which you indicate the topic you
wish to explore, explain how you plan to proceed, state your tentative thesis (the main point you wish to make), and
outline the argument you will make in support of your thesis (including the principal supporting points of your
argument). If you are not yet able to state a thesis, frame the question or questions you wish to ask in your project
(your answer will become your thesis).

Include with your prospectus an updated bibliography based on corrections and suggestions given for assignment 2.

Bring copies for your peer group and the instructor. During the class, we will divide into small peer-review groups
and exchange each others prospectus to discuss and brainstorm possible ways of conducting the research.

Assignment 4: First Draft of Research Paper (7.5% of course grade)

Due Wednesday, November 1

Write the first version of your research paper. This should be a preliminary version of the paper that meets the
specifications of the assignment as given above (including length of 36004500 words) and the criteria given below,
although it may not be as polished in its writing as the final version. This should be as formally prepared as your
final paper will be, including footnotes or endnotes, figures and examples (if any), and finished presentation. Either
footnotes or endnotes may be used, but they must be in the correct format, as described in Turabians A Manual for
Writers, using the form labeled N for note. Include an updated bibliography of all the sources you used that are
relevant to the topic.

Bring paper copies for your peer review group, yourself, and the instructor. Each member of your peer group will fill
out the Peer Evaluation Form for each others papers and will discuss each others work during class on Monday,
November 6. The purpose of the exercise is for each member of the group to evaluate other members papers
according to the criteria below and to offer suggestions for improvement.

For class on Monday, November 6, photocopy each Peer Review Form you complete, giving the original to the writer
of the paper and the copy to your instructor at the beginning of class.

Oral Presentation (5 % of course grade)

Monday, November 27 and Wednesday, November 29

Prepare a 10-minute oral presentation of your research project to the class. You should clearly state your thesis,
explain the methodology you chosen, and summarize the findings. You will be expected to answer questions from
the instructor and your classmates. You may use PowerPoint, Keynote, and other audio-visual examples. Your oral
presentation will be evaluated by the instructors and your peers.

Assignment 5: Final Draft of Research Paper (15% of course grade)

Due Wednesday, December 13

Revise and finalize your paper addressing the feedbacks you received from the instructor and your peer group. This
should be a substantially revised version from the first draft, incorporating the responses of the instructor and your
peers. Correcting minor errors in the first draft alone is not enough; you should strive for better organization, more
effective communication, and more polished writing. Bring a paper copy to submit to your instructor and send a
Word or PDF file to the members of your peer group.
MUSC 744: Takemitsu and His Contemporaries 4
Fall 2017

CRITERIA
Your research paper will be evaluated on the following criteria.

Content
Does it have a clear thesis, a main point to which everything else relates?
Is the argument persuasive? Is enough evidence presented to support each point, and does each point
support the thesis? Are possible counter-arguments considered and refuted?
Are the ideas original and engaging?
Does the paper treat the topic comprehensively, in depth, and with insight?
Are there enough relevant, varied, and scholarly primary and secondary sources, and are the sources used
well in the paper?

Organization:
Is the organization clear, both in the paper as a whole and within each paragraph?
Have unnecessary details and redundancies been eliminated?

Style and mechanics:

Is the paper enjoyable to read? Does it convey the writers thought efficiently?
Are diction, spelling, usage, sentence structure, punctuation, and footnote and bibliographic form correct?

GRADING SCALE
This grading scale will be used, modified in some cases with a plus (+) or minus (-):

A. An A paper will be excellent in content, organization, and style. There will be a clear central thesis with strong
supporting points and ample evidence for each assertion. The ideas will be engaging and original and will offer
illuminating insights into the topic, materials, or works being studied. The topic will be treated in depth, drawing on
a good number of appropriate primary and secondary sources. The organization will be clear at all levels. The paper
will not include material irrelevant to the thesis and supporting arguments. There should be very few distracting
errors in style, diction, and mechanics.

B. A B paper will still be quite good, but weaker than an A paper in some areas. It may have good ideas but be
weakened by problems of organization and style. Or it may be well-organized and well-written but offer fewer and
less valuable insights than an A paper.

C. A C paper will show a competent understanding and coverage of the topic, but its insights will usually not go
beyond the obvious, and there will be weakness in two or more areas. A C may also be assigned to an inconsistent
paper that shows some excellent insights yet fails to tie them into a unified whole.

D. A D paper has some virtues, but weakness in several areas. Examples include a paper with relatively few sources
and little breadth of coverage, a paper with some good ideas or information marred by unclear writing and poor
organization, or clearly written paper with superficial ideas that shows a lack of engagement with the topic.

F. An F paper is consistently weak, whether poorly written throughout, lacking insight into the topic or work being
studied, or reflecting little thought or effort. Papers that plagiarize, that fabricate information or sources, that rely
excessively on quoting secondary sources, or that do no more than repeat what is said in class sessions or in the
course textbooks will also receive an F.