MUSI1002B Issues in Popular Music Essay
ORDER # | 10045 |
PAPER TYPE | ESSAY |
WRITING LEVEL | UNDERGRADUATE |
WRITING STYLE | CHICAGO |
# OF SOURCES | 7 |
# OF PAGES & WORD COUNT | 6 ≈ 1650 WORDS |
Carleton University
SSAC Music
MUSI1002B: Issues in Popular Music
MUSI1002B Issues in Popular Music Essay Guidelines and Research Resources
ESSAY : Value: 25 points
Due March 29 (deadline of 11:59pm OTTAWA TIME ) via Essay Submission
Portal on CULearn
Important Notice Regarding Academic Integrity:
Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and will not be tolerated. Suspected cases of
plagiarism will be thoroughly documented and reported to the proper academic authorities
and can result in SERIOUS academic sanctions for offenders. All students must consult
Carleton University’s official position on plagiarism before commencing the writing process
(http:// carleton.ca/studentaffairs/academic-integrity/). Approach the instructor should you
have any questions regarding academic integrity. A claim of ignorance as to what constitutes
an academic offence is not an acceptable defence. Suspected cases of plagiarism will be
directed toward the office of the Dean and could result in serious academic sanctions
Essay length: Minimum of 1500 words (maximum of 2000 words); or, 6-8 doublespaced pages in a standard 12-point font (not including required title page, citations,
and any appendixes). You will be evaluated on the following parameters: organization,
argumentation (e.g. project viability, logical cohesion, etc. …), spelling, grammar, and
consistent citation/bibliographic practice (see below for resources).
Please do not hesitate to contact your assigned T.A. or the instructor should you
require assistance at any stage of planning and writing your essay (TA
assignments and contact information on CULearn).
Bibliography and Bibliographic Styles:
Bibliography: Students will principally consult academic monographs and journals. Most
internet sources (e.g. Wikipedia, non-academic research sites) are not suitable. However,
some topics will require students to also consult the popular press and website sites as
primary sources. You must have a minimum of six ACADEMIC sources (excluding
your textbook). Please direct any questions regarding suitability of sources and citation/
bibliography to your assigned TA (see CULearn for contacts) and see academic/scholarly
source, research, and documentation information on CULearn.
Required Citation Format: Chicago Manual of Style (Notes and Bibliography: Footnotes
and bibliography to be in CMOS (N&B) style. This is not to be confused with the
author-date, parenthetical in-text citations and reference list. See CULearn for a sample
CMOS paper (an excellent guide) and see below for writing and citation resources.
Thesis Statement/Description of Problem:
a. Your paper may deal with any issues covered in the course materials and syllabus.
b. Focus your work with a clear thesis statement or project description (if an expository
essay). This should appear early in the essay (first paragraph, usually) Your thesis
statement MUST be presented early in the essay and stated as clearly and
succinctly as possible. This should be followed by a few sentences telegraphing the
content and organization of your paper. A paper dealing with one or two issues in detail
is always better than one shallowly dealing with many. For example, a paper entitled
“Music and the Internet” is not acceptable as it is far too broad to be meaningful.
c. You may write either an argumentative or expository essay. An argumentative essay is one
that argues a point (or points) regarding an issue/controversy (e.g. sampling as creative act
versus piracy; e.g. “Childish Gambino’s Critique of Racism, Media, and Violence in his
This is America Video”; “Gender and Music Automobile Marketing Strategies), or a
question (e.g. “How has Social Media Changed the Nature of Independent and
Mainstream Music Marketing?”). Expository papers do not necessarily pose arguments or
answer critical questions but instead offer an account of a specific topic (e.g a historical
account of a technology such digital recording , an account of a critical theory or area of
study, etc.). For example, a paper titled “Spotify: Re-commoditizing Recorded Music or
“Legal” Piracy?” would be an argumentative paper (not just an uncritical “statement of
facts”) while “Spotify and ITunes: A Comparison of Business Models” would be an
expository paper.
d. Students are encouraged to contextualize their topic with concepts/issues from the
readings/lectures.
e. See the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) Essay Writing link below for help
planning and organizing your essay.
Research Resources for MUSI1002B Issues in Popular Music Essay
Use Carleton Research Databases: The Music Index and JSTOR, along with McOdrum
Library’s main search engine, OMNI (esp. if using “advanced search”) are particularly useful
research resources for this course. Google Scholar may be useful in some cases but go the
CU resources first. Do not do your “research” exclusively on the open internet as
it is highly unlikely that you will have access to the best ACADEMIC sources
there.
Carleton University Databases: https://library.carleton.ca/find/databases
Oxford Music Online:
https://www-oxfordmusiconline-com.proxy.library.carleton.ca/
Rock’s Back Pages: https://www-rocksbackpages-com.proxy.library.carleton.ca/
Library Music Area Specialist: Dr. David Jackson is McOdrum Library’s Music Area
Specialist and is an excellent resource to draw upon. Dr. Jackson can be reached here
(https://library.carleton.ca/contact/staff-directory/david-jackson).
Writing and Citation Resources
Carleton Library Music Subject Guide (research and citation resources):
https://library.carleton.ca/research/subject-guides/music-detailed-guide
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) Essay Writing: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/
general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/index.html
Chicago Manual of Style:
Abbreviated Tip Sheet: This page lists/links location(s) of the hardcopy and full
online version. http://pages.towson.edu/lwoznick/docs/music/CMS_music_citations.pdf
Chicago Manual of Style (Electronic Version): https://catalogue.library.carleton.ca/
record=b2868056
Western Libraries Citing Music: An excellent compendium compiled by (the
amazing!) Lisa Rae Philpott at U.W.O. Music Library). http://www.lib.uwo.ca/
music/citemus.html
A Few Sample MUSI 1002b Paper Topics
The following is a sampling of suggested general topics suitable for your term
paper. You are welcome to “take one off the shelf” but I also encourage you to use
these topics as a point of departure for your paper. Many of the topics are
purposefully very broad so they require substantial focusing and a clear
thesis statement in order to serve as the basis of a term paper. Students are
strongly encouraged to contact a T.A. (or the instructor) if you have any difficulties
determining/focusing a topic for your paper.
Gender and Sexuality in Music Videos (be specific and focus on one artist and one
or two videos) Hip Hop Music: Race Constructs and Authenticity
Music, Celebrity Culture, and Consumption (lifestyle marketing)
Music, Celebrity Culture, and Politics
Authenticity Constructs and Commodification
Social Media and New Models Artist/Audience Relations
Axel Bruns’ Concept of “Produsage” and Mashup Culture
New Business Models (the 360 deal for e.g., subscription services, etc.,
subscription services, etc.) Globalization, Cultural Imperialism, and Music in
(whatever country, genre, scene, city of your choice) K-Pop and “Glocalization”
Music and Intellectual Copyright Law: Public -vs-Author Rights
Media Consolidation and Content: Mass-vs-local culture
Mass Culture and Audience Agency
Global Music and Constructions of Otherness
Music 2.o and Social Media (Community and Marketing)
Online Music Distribution and re-commoditizing recorded music (Spotify, etc. )
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