Opinion Piece

This assignment is to write a 5-6 page paper (not including title page and reference page) featuring the traditional music of a specific non-Western culture that is not covered in Chapter 8 of the course text. (Please note that the term “world music” in the context of this assignment refers to music that is not based in the Western tradition of music. See below for more information about choosing a topic.)

Your paper should include the following elements:
1.     Discussion of chosen culture including a short history.
2.     A brief explanation of some beliefs and traditions of your chosen culture.
3.     Description of the instruments used in that culture’s music.
4.     Explanation of the key attributes of the culture’s music, such as melody, harmony, timbre, texture, rhythm and form.
5.     Specific introduction to one piece of music from the culture. Be sure to include at least one example of the music.

Your choice of world music must be a style of traditional music that is non-Western or not from the Western tradition of music, therefore avoid choosing styles of music from the U.S., Canada, or Europe, including Jazz or any type of pop music (including hip hop). For example, a pop or rock band from Europe or Japan would not be appropriate for this assignment. Also, because most students are already familiar with Reggae music, please do not choose Reggae for your topic. If you are not sure if your chosen topic is a style of world music, then please contact your instructor, who will provide guidance on your topic selection.
Sources must be valid, academic sources (i.e. Please do not use non-academic websites, such as Wikipedia or About.com). Your paper should not contain more than 15% direct quotes and direct quotes must be in quotation marks. Direct quotes and paraphrased material must be cited in the body of the text and in a reference page.

In addition to these elements, please be sure to fulfill the Requirements for Writing Assignments, Please note that MLA is the standard citation style in the humanities. Here are some good sources of information for Evaluating Online Resources, Citing Sources, and Writing & Grammar Resources. These resources are linked in the assignment directions for the two papers.

This assignment is due by Monday of Week 7 at 11:55pm (ET). Let me know if you have any questions and have a good day! Cathy