An examination of the psychology of expectation and its application to music
This seminar addresses the experience of musical expectation, including its phenomenological, physiological, and musical manifestations. The course will examine in detail such phenomena as surprise, anticipation, and boredom. The goal of the course will be to use psychological principles to understand tonality, meter, cadence, embellishment tones (such as anticipations and suspensions), and many forms of musical deception (including deceptive cadences and syncopation). It will be proposed that expectation accounts for phenomena as diverse as laugher, awe and musical chills or shivers.
The course objectives are pursued through weekly readings, seminar discussions, student presentations and a final essay or project.
The course has no formal pre-requisites. Graduate standing is required.
This course is scheduled for the Autumn Quarter of 2003. Classes meet from 1:30-2:48 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The first class will be held on Thursday September 25, Seminar Room 174, Music & Dance Library, Sullivant Hall.
The registration call number for the Autumn 2003 offering of this course is 14389-6.
The course content is built around the following core reading:
David Huron, Sweet Anticipation: Music and the Psychology of Expectation. Unpublished manuscript, 2003.
Supplementary reserve readings will be made available through the Music & Dance Library. Refer to the course bibliography for further readings.
The workload for Music 950.02 entails three hours of seminar participation each week, plus approximately six hours of reading (roughly 70 pages) per week. An estimated four hours of prepartion time will be needed for a class presentation. A final essay is also required.
The final course grade will be based on the following:
Class participation 20% Class presentation 30% Final essay or project 50%
Dr. David Huron
Mershon Auditorium, Room 502
Telephone: 688-4753 (Work)
E-mail:
Students are encouraged to arrange to discuss any aspect of their course work. No appointments are necessary, however meeting times can be assured by telephoning Prof. Huron to make an appointment. If you are unable to reach the instructor by telephone, rmemeber to leave a message giving your name and telephone number.
This document is available at: http://csml.som.ohio-state.edu/Music950B/descript.950B.html