Music and Cultural History MA

Program Overview

The MA in Music and Cultural History is a one-year full-time or two-year part-time program that combines traditional and contemporary music scholarship. It equips students with core musicological skills and explores recent developments in music scholarship, such as politics, gender, sexuality, and race in music. The program culminates in a substantial research project that prepares graduates for diverse professional fields.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The MA in Music and Cultural History is a one-year, full-time (or two-year, part-time) program that offers a progressive alternative to conventional postgraduate courses in musicology. It combines traditional and contemporary scholarly practice, drawing on the expertise of internationally renowned scholars. The program aims to equip students with core musicological skills, including research techniques, critical editing of music, and close reading and analysis of musical texts. It also explores exciting developments in recent music scholarship, such as:

• Politics, gender, and sexuality in music
• Race and ethnicity in music
• (Dis)ability in music
• The interaction of music with other media
• Musical globalization
• Issues in contemporary popular music and culture
• Links between musicology and other disciplines like film studies, cultural studies, postcolonial theory, and philosophy
The MA in Music and Cultural History provides a well-rounded introduction to methodologies and issues in contemporary musicology, expanding students' familiarity with musical repertoire, deepening their engagement with key critical concepts, and equipping them with valuable research skills.

Outline:

The program is structured into two parts:

Part I:

• MU6030 Research Skills (5 credits): This module focuses on developing research skills essential for musicological study.
• MU6050 Performance Studies (10 credits): This module explores the theory and practice of performance, examining its historical and cultural contexts.
• MU6031 Sound Studies & Musicology (5 credits): This module examines the relationship between sound and music, exploring the theoretical and methodological approaches to sound studies.
• MU6034 Multidisciplinary Debates in Musicology and Ethnomusicology (5 credits): This module delves into current debates and intersections between musicology and ethnomusicology, highlighting interdisciplinary perspectives.
• MU6036 Music and Popular Culture (10 credits): This module analyzes the role of music in popular culture, examining its historical development and contemporary manifestations.
• MU6037 Music and Cinema (10 credits): This module explores the relationship between music and film, examining the use of music in cinematic storytelling and its impact on the viewing experience.
• One further module in Music or a related area (5 credits): Students can choose a module relevant to their research specialization.

Part II:

• MU6012 Research Project in Music and Cultural History (30 credits): This module involves the development and completion of a substantial research project, culminating in a dissertation or equivalent project.

Postgraduate Diploma in Music and Cultural History:

Students who successfully complete at least 60 credits of taught modules can exit the program and receive a Postgraduate Diploma in Music and Cultural History.

Assessment:

Assessment is through a combination of coursework (essays, portfolios of short assignments, learning journals), in-class presentations, and viva voce examinations.

Teaching:

• Each module in Part A runs for twelve weeks, consisting of three weekly hours of seminars and an additional hour of self-directed study.
• Students are encouraged to form peer-learning groups and are provided with study facilities for these groups.
• The average weekly commitment is approximately 10 hours of formal instruction, with additional time dedicated to individual preparation, reading, study, and research.
• Students are required to attend selected live performances and screenings, and to engage with live streams and other mediatised forms of performance.

Careers:

The MA in Music and Cultural History equips graduates with a wide range of skills valuable to cultural industries and the information economy, including:

• Critical, historical, and global thinking
• Advanced media literacy and media savvy
• Cultural analysis
• Professional writing
Graduates are prepared for diverse professional fields, including:
• Tourism and Cultural Industries: Tourism, Arts Venues
• Media: Radio, TV, and Online Platforms, Cultural Journalism
• Teaching: Universities, EU Cultural Commission, NGO Research Consortia, Secondary Schools
• Performance: Music Performance and Production, Historically Informed Performance, Singer-Songwriter
• Public Sector: Arts Administrator, Outreach Officer, Communications Officer, Media Officer
• Advertising: Advertising Copywriter, Demographic Analysis, Account Executive
• Public Relations & Communications: Music Management and PR
• Writer: Freelance, Culture and Style Columnist, Blogger, Magazine Editor, Music Editor
• Marketing: Music Marketing Executive, Marketing Analysis.
Graduates can also pursue advanced PhD research.

Other:

• The MA in Music and Cultural History is the only course in Ireland to focus on recent developments in musicology, which increasingly absorbs methods and insights from other disciplines to provide new perspectives on music and its cultural role.
• The course offers co-taught modules with courses in ethnomusicology and film studies.
• Graduates gain experience in formal presentation and broaden their professional network through participation in MCH Seminars and events such as the FUAIM Music Research Seminar Series.