MUS 330W: Topics in Music Literature (Topic Musical Theatre)

Fall 2019
TuTh 8:00-9:15am
Performing & Fine Arts, Room 215
3 Credits
Prerequisite: ((MUS 241 or 242), MUS 221, and (Foundation English Requirement or HON
190) with grades of C or better in each); and Junior Status or higher

Instructor: Dr. Alexander K. Rothe, Lecturer of Musicology

Contact Information: Performing & Fine Arts, room 225, Alexander.Rothe@nau.edu, (928)
523-7536
Office Hours: MW 2:00-3:00pm, TuTh 9:30-10:30

Catalog Description: In-depth study of various genres in the Western classical music tradition
including symphonic, chamber music, and choral literature. This course fulfills NAU's junior-
level writing requirement. Letter grade only. This course may be repeated for credit. Course fee
required.

COURSE PURPOSE
This course fulfills the 300-level writing class required for the music major. It examines the
genre of musical theater from an artistic, historical, and cultural perspective. Adopting a case
study approach, the course introduces students to the various issues of musical theater that have
occupied composers, collaborators, and audiences since the turn of the twentieth century.
Effective writing is an essential skill of the course, and students are required to submit regular
online journal postings and a number of short writing assignments. There will also be several
listening tests, and students are expected to complete daily reading and listening assignments.
The short writing assignments will primarily focus on a single case-study, which the student will
select at the beginning of the semester.

COURSE STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Successful students in this course will be able to demonstrate through assessment:
• historical, artistic, and cultural knowledge and understanding of American musical
theater
• clear, critical, and accurate expository writing skills
• comprehension of the relationship between the script and musical score of a case-study
musical; the ability to identify and consider relevant aesthetic, social, and political issues
relating to this case study; the skill to conduct a comparative analysis of the musical and
its source material
• self-reflection on the course materials as it relates to students’ own lives and intellectual
development
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ASSIGNMENTS/ASSESSMENTS OF COURSE STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Online journals
Students in this course will maintain an online journal throughout the semester, responding to
specific prompts as they relate to daily reading and listening assignments as well as class
discussions. Students will also use the journal to respond to feedback on written assignments.

Short Writing Assignments

Students will complete a number of short assignments based on a single case-study musical
(CSM). By studying a single musical in depth, they will be able to address various artistic and
cultural issues with a degree of confidence and from an informed perspective.

Assignment 1: Plot Synopsis, 1-2 pgs. (due 9/13)

• Students will provide a synopsis of their CSM, demonstrating clear prose and
comprehension of the subject matter

Assignment 2: Adaptation of Source Material, 2-3 pgs. (10/4)

• Students will write a comparative analysis of the CSM and its source material, addressing
the handling of music, setting, characters, and structure; students will read the source
material (spoken play, novella, or novel) in its entirety and assess the effectiveness of the
musical adaptation of the material

Assignment 3: Article Critique, 3 pgs. (10/18)

• Students will engage with a scholarly article relating to their CSM, identifying and
evaluating the article’s main argument, evidence, and intended audience

Assignment 4: Case Study Issue, 3-4 pgs. (11/1)

• Students will identify an outstanding aesthetic, social, and/or political issue in their CSM,
elaborating on how the issue shaped both the creation and reception of the CSM; students
will learn how to present a clear argument and provide evidence for it

Assignment 5: Song Analysis, 3 pgs. (11/15)

• Students will analyze a particular song in their CSM, considering such aspects as the text-
music relationship, musical form, and the overall effect of the song within the musical

Assignment 6: Playlist paper on Contemporary Musicals, 3-4 pgs. (12/10)

• Students will return to the issue addressed in Assignment 4 and create a 30-minute
playlist on Spotify or Apple Music, providing examples from other musicals that are
occupied with the same aesthetic, social, and/or political issue; in addition to creating the
playlist, the student will provide a close listening of a particular song on the playlist,
describing how the song conveys the playlist’s theme

Presentation (11/19-11/26)
Students will present an oral presentation based on Assignment 5 (Song Analysis),
demonstrating the ability to highlight key points and communicate these to other students
through visual and verbal means.
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Listening Tests
There will be three listening tests, which involve identifying works from the playlists discussed
in class. I will play a clip, not necessarily from the beginning, and students will have to identify
information such as the composer and key collaborators, what is occurring in the plot, and basic
musical features (form, melody, harmony, rhythm, tempo, instrumentation). These listening tests
involve short responses and are non-cumulative.

GRADING SYSTEM

Online journals 20%

Short assignments 35%
Tests 30%
Presentation of Song 5%
Participation 10%

All final grades are based on strict percentages.

A 90-100%
B 80-89%
C 70-79%
D 60-69%
F below 59%

A—Excellent
B—Above Average
C—Average
D—Below Average
F—Fail
P—Credit*
I—Incomplete
W—Withdraw
AU—Audit
IP—Thesis or Research in Progress

READINGS AND MATERIALS (REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS)

Books
James Leve, American Musical Theater (New York: Oxford University Press, 2016).
Kate Turabian, Student’s Guide to Writing College Papers, 5th edition (Chicago: University of
Chicago Press, 2019). [Available as a Kindle book]

Streaming Music Subscription

In order to access the listening assignments, you will need to subscribe to either Apple Music or
Spotify, both of which offer student subscriptions.
MUS 296 (Fall 2019) 4

COURSE OUTLINE (**subject to change, be sure to always check Bb Learn)

Unit 1: Fundamentals

8/27 Introduction: Contemporary Broadway Voices

Media: Listen to playlist “Contemporary Broadway Voices”

8/29 Integrated Musical

Reading: Textbook, Ch. 1

Media: Oklahoma! (film and recording), Carousel (recording)

8/30 Journal entry due (Introduce yourself), submit online by midnight

9/3 Theory of Adaptation, My Fair Lady

Media: My Fair Lady (script, film, sound recording), Pygmalion (play and film)

9/5 Song Analysis

Reading: Walter Frisch, Arlen and Harburg’s Over the Rainbow (New York: Oxford
University Press, 2017), 53-68.

9/6 Journal entry due (My Fair Lady)

Unit 2: Early History

9/10 Turn of the Century, Little Johnny Jones

Reading: Textbook, Ch. 3

9/12 Operetta in the United States

Reading: Textbook, pg. 30-31

Listening: Lehar, The Merry Widow; Gilbert and Sullivan, Pirates of Penzance

9/13 Assignment 1 due (Plot synopsis)

9/17 The Teens, Very Good Eddie

Reading: Textbook, Ch. 4

Media: Very Good Eddie (sound recording)

9/19 Twenties, Show Boat

MUS 296 (Fall 2019) 5

Reading: Textbook, Chapter 5

Media: Showboat (film and sound recording)

9/20 Journal entry due (Very Good Eddie)

9/24 Listening Test 1

Unit 3: Depression Years

9/26 Thirties, Anything Goes

Reading: Textbook, Ch. 6

Media: Anything Goes (sound recording)

10/1 Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and the Hollywood Musical

Reading: Beth Genné, Dance Me a Song: Astaire, Balanchine, Kelly, and the American
Film Musical (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018), 15-35.
Media: Top Hat (film)

10/3 Marc Blitzstein and Kurt Weill

Media: The Cradle Will Rock, Lady in the Dark (sound recordings)

10/4 Assignment 2 due (Adaptation of Source Material)

Unit 4: Rodgers and Hammerstein Era

10/8 Forties, Brigadoon

Reading: Textbook, Ch. 7

Media: Brigadoon (film and sound recording)

10/10 Fifties, The Music Man

Reading: Textbook, Ch. 8

Media: The Music Man (film and sound recording)

10/11 Journal entry due (Brigadoon)

10/15 West Side Story

Media: West Side Story (film)

MUS 296 (Fall 2019) 6

10/17 The Sound of Music

Reading: Todd S. Purdum, Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s

Broadway Revolution (New York: Henry Holt and Co., 2018), 267-295.
Media: The Sound of Music (film and sound recording)

10/18 Assignment 3 due (Article critique)

10/22 The Broadway Musical and Exotic Locales

10/24 Listening Test 2

Unit 5: Post-Rodgers and Hammerstein Era

10/29 Rock Musical, Hair

Reading: Textbook, Ch. 16

Media: Hair (film and sound recording)

10/31 Concept Musical, Cabaret

Reading Textbook, Ch. 9

Media: Cabaret (film and sound recording)

11/1 Assignment 4 due (Case study topic)

11/5 Stephan Sondheim, Company

Reading: Textbook, Ch. 10

Media: Company (video and sound recordings)

11/7 Bob Fosse

Reading: Kevin Winkler, Big Deal: Bob Fosse and Dance in the American Musical (New
York: Oxford University Press, 2018), 190-209.
Media: Chicago

11/8 Journal entry due (Bob Fosse)

11/12 The “Black Musical”

Reading: Textbook, Ch. 15

Media: The Wiz
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11/14 Andrew Lloyd Weber and the Megamusical

Reading: Textbook, Ch. 11

Media: The Phantom of the Opera (film and sound recording)

11/15 Assignment 5 due (Song analysis)

11/19 Student Presentations,

11/21 Student Presentations; Listening Test 3 (take-home, due 11/22)

11/26 Student Presentations

11/28 No class

Unit 6: The New Millennium

12/3 The New Century, The Light in the Piazza

Reading: Textbook, Ch. 13

Media: Original Broadway cast recording

12/5 Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton

12/10 Assignment 6 due (Playlist paper)

CLASS POLICIES AND FURTHER INFORMATION

I. Assignment and Grading Policies

Unless otherwise specified on the syllabus, late assignments will NOT be accepted. Begin work
on each assignment in a timely fashion in order to avoid lost credit.

All papers must be submitted online by midnight on the dates indicated, no exceptions. Papers
should use Times New Roman 12-point font and double-spacing. Be sure to proofread for
grammar, style, and spelling. Always carefully read the guidelines for each assignment in order
to receive full credit.

Any paper that does not follow directions and/or reflects a lack of effort on the part of the student
will be returned with a marking of “not college level” (NCL), and your grade for the assignment
will be a zero.

For further writing assistance, you should consult the University Writing Commons well in
advance of the due date.
MUS 296 (Fall 2019) 8

II. Suggestions for Case-Study Musicals in the Writing Assignments

Musical Source Material

Fiddler on the Roof Script: Bb Learn Tevye the Dairyman, short stories
Score: course reserve by Sholem Aleichem (course
(M1503.B668 F52 1965) reserve)
Recording: Bb Learn
Golden Boy Script: Bb Learn Golden Boy, play by Clifford
Score: tba Odets (Bb Learn)
Recording: Bb Learn
Hello, Dolly! Script: Bb Learn The Match Maker, play by
Score: course reserve (M1508 H4 Thornton Wilder (course reserve)
H4 19802)
Recording: Bb Learn
The Most Happy Fella! Score: course reserve They Knew What They Wanted,
(M1503.L817 M7 1980) play by Sidney Howard (Bb
Recording: Bb Learn Learn)
Live video recording: Bb Learn
Ragtime Script: course reserve Ragtime, novel by E.L.
Score: course reserve Doctorow (course reserve: PS
Recording: Bb Learn: D2354 3554 O3R3)
If you prefer to work on another musical, you must obtain the permission from the professor.
This work must be based on a play, novel, or other literary source. Permission will not be granted
until you show that you have access to the script of the musical, the source (novel, etc), and score
(written music). Some twenty-first century titles include The Color Purple, Jane Eyre, Little
Women, Lysistrata Jones, Matilda, Spring Awakening, The Visit, Wicked, and The Woman In
White.

It is important that you begin researching your case study musical at the very beginning of the
semester. Read the script and listen to the songs. You might also watch a video recorded version
of movie if available, but this activity does not substitute for reading the script (in fact, most film
versions are very different from the stage versions.) All essays must be based on the original
Broadway stage version of your case study. Lastly, you should reread and listen to the musical
on multiple times, ideally before each assignment. In other words, you should become a
specialist on your musical. Your papers must be in dialogue with the course readings and
scholarly research on the topic.

III. Attendance, Participation, and Makeup Tests

Attendance and participation are required, and your level of participation will be reflected in
your participation grade. Should an absence from class be unavoidable, you are responsible for
reporting the reason to your instructor. (Be aware that Campus Health Services does not provide
documentation of your health problems.) In addition, you are responsible for making up any
work you miss. Your instructor is under no obligation to make special arrangements for you if
MUS 296 (Fall 2019) 9

you are absent. You should know that Arizona Board of Regents’ policy forbids discrimination
because of your religious beliefs or practices or any absences resulting from them. In addition,
you cannot be discriminated against for seeking a religious accommodation pursuant to this
policy. The Office of Student Life and Campus Health Services do not issue excuses for health
or personal reasons. Only the instructor may excuse an absence except for Institutional Excuses
for activities such as athletic events or other university sponsored activities which are approved
by the Office of the Associate Provost-Undergraduate Studies or the Office of Student Life or for
official military orders as approved by Veteran and Military Services. Please note that a student
served through the office of Disability Resources may qualify for an attendance policy
modification.

If you are absent on the day of a listening test, you will receive a “0,” unless your absence is
excused. Late assignments will NOT be accepted. Begin work on each assignment in a timely
fashion in order to avoid lost credit.

IV. Policy Regarding Technology

The use of laptops and mobile devises is prohibited during class except when the instructor calls
for it (e.g., to refer to a digital text and/or look up a reference question). Notes and other in-class
writing must be done by hand. Exceptions due to medical issues or disability must be requested
through Disability Services.

V. Extra Credit

You can earn 3 extra-credit points toward your final grade by attending a musical theater
production (i.e., a Broadway production or touring production at Gammage Theater or a
comparable theater in the Phoenix area, Tucson, Las Vegas, or elsewhere) and writing a short
concert report. Notify the professor before you undertake this extra credit assignment.

VI. Emergency Textbook Loan Program

Northern Arizona University is pleased to announce the Emergency Textbook Loan program.
The purpose of this program is to assist students with unmet financial need in obtaining required
textbook(s) for schooling. Textbooks must be returned at the end of the term in which they were
loaned. Please review the information below and contact textbookloan@nau.edu with any
questions. More information can be found online at https://nau.edu/first-generation/textbook-
loan-program/.

SYLLABUS POLICY STATEMENTS

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
NAU expects every student to firmly adhere to a strong ethical code of academic integrity in all
their scholarly pursuits. The primary attributes of academic integrity are honesty, trustworthiness,
fairness, and responsibility. As a student, you are expected to submit original work while giving
proper credit to other people’s ideas or contributions. Acting with academic integrity means
MUS 296 (Fall 2019) 10

completing your assignments independently while truthfully acknowledging all sources of

information, or collaboration with others when appropriate. When you submit your work, you are
implicitly declaring that the work is your own. Academic integrity is expected not only during
formal coursework, but in all your relationships or interactions that are connected to the educational
enterprise. All forms of academic deceit such as plagiarism, cheating, collusion, falsification or
fabrication of results or records, permitting your work to be submitted by another, or inappropriately
recycling your own work from one class to another, constitute academic misconduct that may result
in serious disciplinary consequences. All students and faculty members are responsible for reporting
suspected instances of academic misconduct. All students are encouraged to complete NAU’s
online academic integrity workshop available in the E-Learning Center and should review the full
academic integrity policy available at https://policy.nau.edu/policy/policy.aspx?num=100601.

COURSE TIME COMMITMENT

Pursuant to Arizona Board of Regents guidance (Academic Credit Policy 2-224), for every unit of
credit, a student should expect, on average, to do a minimum of three hours of work per week,
including but not limited to class time, preparation, homework, and studying.

DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR
Membership in NAU’s academic community entails a special obligation to maintain class
environments that are conductive to learning, whether instruction is taking place in the classroom,
a laboratory or clinical setting, during course-related fieldwork, or online. Students have the
obligation to engage in the educational process in a manner that does not breach the peace, interfere
with normal class activities, or violate the rights of others. Instructors have the authority and
responsibility to address disruptive behavior that interferes with student learning, which can include
the involuntary withdrawal of a student from a course with a grade of “W”. For additional
information, see NAU’s disruptive behavior policy at https://nau.edu/university-policy-
library/disruptive-behavior.

NONDISCRIMINATION AND ANTI-HARASSMENT

NAU prohibits discrimination and harassment based on sex, gender, gender identity, race, color,
age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status. Due to potentially
unethical consequences, certain consensual amorous or sexual relationships between faculty and
students are also prohibited. The Equity and Access Office (EAO) responds to complaints regarding
discrimination and harassment that fall under NAU’s Safe Working and Learning Environment
(SWALE) policy. EAO also assists with religious accommodations. For additional information
about SWALE or to file a complaint, contact EAO located in Old Main (building 10), Room 113,
PO Box 4083, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, or by phone at 928-523-3312 (TTY: 928-523-1006), fax at
928-523-9977, email at equityandaccess@nau.edu, or via the EAO website at
https://nau.edu/equity-and-access.

TITLE IX
Title IX is the primary federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex or gender in
educational programs or activities. Sex discrimination for this purpose includes sexual harassment,
sexual assault or relationship violence, and stalking (including cyber-stalking). Title IX requires
that universities appoint a “Title IX Coordinator” to monitor the institution’s compliance with this
important civil rights law. NAU’s Title IX Coordinator is Pamela Heinonen, Director of the Equity
MUS 296 (Fall 2019) 11

and Access Office located in Old Main (building 10), Room 113, PO Box 4083, Flagstaff, AZ
86011. The Title IX Coordinator is available to meet with any student to discuss any Title IX issue
or concern. You may contact the Title IX Coordinator by phone at 928-523-3312 (TTY: 928-523-
1006), by fax at 928-523-9977, or by email at pamela.heinonen@nau.edu. In furtherance of its Title
IX obligations, NAU will promptly investigate and equitably resolve all reports of sex or gender-
based discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct and will eliminate any hostile environment
as defined by law. Additional important information about Title IX and related student resources,
including how to request immediate help or confidential support following an act of sexual violence,
is available at http://nau.edu/equity-and-access/title-ix.

ACCESSIBILITY
Professional disability specialists are available at Disability Resources to facilitate a range of
academic support services and accommodations for students with disabilities. If you have a
documented disability, you can request assistance by contacting Disability Resources at 928-523-
8773 (voice), 928-523-6906 (TTY), 928-523-8747 (fax), or dr@nau.edu (e-mail). Once eligibility
has been determined, students register with Disability Resources every semester to activate their
approved accommodations. Although a student may request an accommodation at any time, it is
best to initiate the application process at least four weeks before a student wishes to receive an
accommodation. Students may begin the accommodation process by submitting a self-identification
form online at https://nau.edu/disability-resources/student-eligibility-process or by contacting
Disability Resources. The Director of Disability Resources, Jamie Axelrod, serves as NAU’s
Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator and Section 504 Compliance Officer. He can be
reached at jamie.axelrod@nau.edu.

RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH

Students who engage in research at NAU must receive appropriate Responsible Conduct of
Research (RCR) training. This instruction is designed to help ensure proper awareness and
application of well-established professional norms and ethical principles related to the performance
of all scientific research activities. More information regarding RCR training is available at
https://nau.edu/research/compliance/research-integrity.

MISCONDUCT IN RESEARCH
As noted, NAU expects every student to firmly adhere to a strong code of academic integrity in all
their scholarly pursuits. This includes avoiding fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism when
conducting research or reporting research results. Engaging in research misconduct may result in
serious disciplinary consequences. Students must also report any suspected or actual instances of
research misconduct of which they become aware. Allegations of research misconduct should be
reported to your instructor or the University’s Research Integrity Officer, Dr. David Faguy, who
can be reached at david.faguy@nau.edu or 928-523-6117. More information about Misconduct in
Research is available at https://nau.edu/university-policy-library/misconduct-in-research.

SENSITIVE COURSE MATERIALS

University education aims to expand student understanding and awareness. Thus, it necessarily
involves engagement with a wide range of information, ideas, and creative representations. In
their college studies, students can expect to encounter and to critically appraise materials that may
MUS 296 (Fall 2019) 12

differ from and perhaps challenge familiar understandings, ideas, and beliefs. Students are
encouraged to discuss these matters with faculty.