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The purpose of this assignment is for you to consider the ways in which music connects with society, culture, and notions of identity

Sociology

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The purpose of this assignment is for you to consider the ways in which music connects with society, culture, and notions of identity. The goal is to produce an engaging and well-written essay that addresses not only the music's social/cultural significance, but also includes your own perspective as an engaged listener.

Directions

1. Choose one (but no more than two) musical examples from one Latin American country that you find meaningful and has significance for you and/or a particular audience.
2. Make sure you have a thesis or argument. See below.
3. Choose one or two musical features (i.e. melody, rhythm, harmony, vocal style and/or lyrics) and discuss how they contribute to the music's uniqueness.
4. Consider the significance of the music example(s) within a broader musical category/tradition and its importance from a social/cultural perspective. What types of meanings are associated with this music? How does this music intersect with notions of identity?

Bibliography

The bibliography must contain at least five references. At least three of your references must be drawn from books, peer-reviewed articles, and/or library databases. Here is a listing of potential sources that meet the bilbliography requirement:

- Monograph (book, one author on a single subject)

- Anthology (collection of works from different authors on a particular topic)

- Scholarly Article (from a peer-reviewed journal) available in databases such as JSTOR or Project Muse. Latin American Music Review and Ethnomusicology would be particular applicable for this class.

- Encyclopedias (Oxford Music Online, Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, v. 2, Latin America)

- Sound Databases (Liner notes from recordings in Smithsonian Global Sound or Naxos Music Library

- Other Relevant Sources (magazines, newspaper articles, etc.)

- If applicable to your topic, your textbook may also be used as a reference.

Format: MLA or Chicago (author-date system).

Organization

Thesis/Introduction (approx. 150-200 words)

Make sure you have a thesis or argument that explains the purpose of your paper and the significance of your topic. What is the unifying idea or question you are addressing in your paper? What will your paper show, demonstrate, or reveal? See the Resources module on Canvas for the UNC Chapel Hill Writing Center and Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)

Body (approx. 800-900 words)

Use subheadings within the body of the paper to organize the main ideas you are addressing.

Conclusion (approx. 150-200 words)

The conclusion needs to bring your paper to a close and summarize your ideas in an interesting and engaging manner.

Paper Requirements

- 1250 words minimum - does NOT include the Bibliography. Papers less than 1250 words will not receive full credit.

- Double space

- Points will be deducted for excessive use of in-text, direct quotations, especially quotes of more than three lines.