About
Music is emotion set to rhythm. This major critiques the composers and musical movements that defined history through their emotional expressions. More than just the study of joyful noise, music history is about interpreting world events by hearing, listening, and learning.
The major offers a window into the very soul of society: You’ll evaluate groundbreaking musicians and composers for their artistic merits and also for their cultural impact. Learning about Medieval troubadours and chants, for instance, opens up the world of the Roman Empire; a course on jazz spotlights the socially charged era of the Harlem Renaissance. Suffolk has a varied course catalogue in music history; you’ll study large movements like the blues and hip-hop, and you’ll also go hyperlocal, with courses on music in Boston—and in Africa.
Most of all, you’ll march to your own drum: You’re welcome to combine the major with a complementary area of study. Many students opt for English, Theatre, or Business. A background in music history, on its own or combined with another major, has limitless possibilities: arts administration, public relations, box office management, nonprofit work, and teaching are just a few of the options.
Music on Campus and Beyond
Suffolk’s Performing Arts Office sponsors plenty of performance opportunities. As a diverse urban campus, we have groups dedicated to jazz, rhythm, gospel, and more. Our a capella group, the Ramifications, performs regularly on television and even at Boston Celtics basketball games. The C. Walsh Theatre, Suffolk’s premier performance space, is a major venue for musical theatre and concerts. And some of the finest music venues in the world are just beyond our gates: the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Opera, and of course Wally’s, one of the oldest jazz clubs in the country.
Major Requirements
A music history major and music history minor are available through the Department of World Languages and Cultural Studies.
Music History Major (10 courses, 40 credits)
Required Courses (2 courses, 8 credits)
-
MUH-101 History of Music I
Credits:
4.00
Description:
A chronological survey of Western music from Gregorian chant to the death of Beethoven. Assigned readings, critical listening, class discussion and concert attendance.
Term:
Offered Fall Term
Type:
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
-
MUH-102 History of Music II
Credits:
4.00
Description:
A chronological survey of Western music from Schubert to the present. Assigned readings, critical listening, class discussion and concert attendance.
Term:
Offered Spring Term
Type:
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
Advanced Courses (8 courses, 24 credits)
1. Music Courses (6-8 courses)
-
MUH-211 Music of the United States
Credits:
4.00
Description:
Survey from Colonial times to the present. Various attempts to create an indigenous style. Folk, religious music and symphonies, jazz and American musical theater. Composers include Billings, Beach, Ives, Copland, Bernstein and others.
Term:
Alternates Fall & Spring
Type:
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
-
MUH-221 History of Women in Music
Credits:
4.00
Description:
The history of music from the Middle Ages to the present presented in the lives and music of women composers, performers, and writers. Assigned readings, critical listening, class discussion and concert attendance.
Term:
Alternates Fall & Spring
Type:
Cultural Diversity Opt B,Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
-
MUH-223 World Music
Credits:
4.00
Description:
Selected topics in the folk and traditional music of Africa, the Near East, the Far East, and the Pacific, examined in the context of their cultures and their roles in the life of the indigenous peoples of those areas. Assigned readings, critical listening, class discussion, and concert attendance.
Term:
Occasional
Type:
Cultural Diversity Opt B,Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
-
MUH-227 Jazz
Credits:
4.00
Description:
Evolution of jazz from blues and ragtime through Dixieland and the avant-garde experiments of today. Contributions of major soloists, arrangers and composers. Listening, reading and concert attendance.
Term:
Occasional
Type:
Cultural Diversity Opt A,Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
-
MUH-233 The Blues
Credits:
4.00
Description:
Selected topics dealing with the blues from its origins in various Southern regions of the U.S., through its post-war urban relocation, up to modern interpretations in rock, rap, pop, and hip-hop today. Blues music, both technically and culturally, will be considered from the artists perspective as a form of African-American expression and American/African-American oral history, as well as a unique indigenous form of American music. Influences of European, African, Country and Jazz styles will be examined, as well as the themes of race and alienation, and similar socio-cultural influences that have shaped and defined the music over time.
Term:
Occasional
Type:
Cultural Diversity Opt A,Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
-
MUH-331 Music in Film
Credits:
4.00
Description:
This class studies the history and development of film music through reading, lecture and class listening. We investigate the process of film scoring, and how music and its relationship to film have changed over the last century. The class includes discussion and evaluation of different compositional styles and practices to listening critically to film scores while viewing movies.
Term:
Occasional
Type:
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
-
MUH-510 Independent Study
Prerequisites:
Instructors Consent.
Credits:
1.00- 4.00
Description:
Students meet with a departmental faculty member to pursue advanced studies in areas of particular interest to them.
Term:
Occasional
Type:
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
2. Related Options: A maximum of 2 courses
May be chosen from the following:
-
MUH-110 Music Theory
Credits:
4.00
Description:
Topics in music history and theory, including terminology, notation, scales, chords, and basic composition, score analysis and aural skills, historical periods and genres. Assignments include reading, writing, listening, and class discussion.
Term:
Occasional
Type:
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
Notes:
- AP Credit: not applicable.
- A maximum of three courses taken at other institutions or as part of a study abroad program may apply toward the major.
- Departmental honors: Candidates must register for MUH 502 in the fall semester of the senior year and complete a senior thesis under the supervision of a faculty member. MUH 502 counts toward completion of the major.
- Independent Study (MUH 510) may be taken only once (permission required).
Minor Requirements
The minor in music history requires a total of 6 courses (24 credits).
Required Courses
-
MUH-101 History of Music I
Credits:
4.00
Description:
A chronological survey of Western music from Gregorian chant to the death of Beethoven. Assigned readings, critical listening, class discussion and concert attendance.
Term:
Offered Fall Term
Type:
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
-
MUH-102 History of Music II
Credits:
4.00
Description:
A chronological survey of Western music from Schubert to the present. Assigned readings, critical listening, class discussion and concert attendance.
Term:
Offered Spring Term
Type:
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
Four Advanced Courses
1. Music Courses (3 or 4 courses)
-
MUH-211 Music of the United States
Credits:
4.00
Description:
Survey from Colonial times to the present. Various attempts to create an indigenous style. Folk, religious music and symphonies, jazz and American musical theater. Composers include Billings, Beach, Ives, Copland, Bernstein and others.
Term:
Alternates Fall & Spring
Type:
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
-
MUH-221 History of Women in Music
Credits:
4.00
Description:
The history of music from the Middle Ages to the present presented in the lives and music of women composers, performers, and writers. Assigned readings, critical listening, class discussion and concert attendance.
Term:
Alternates Fall & Spring
Type:
Cultural Diversity Opt B,Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
-
MUH-223 World Music
Credits:
4.00
Description:
Selected topics in the folk and traditional music of Africa, the Near East, the Far East, and the Pacific, examined in the context of their cultures and their roles in the life of the indigenous peoples of those areas. Assigned readings, critical listening, class discussion, and concert attendance.
Term:
Occasional
Type:
Cultural Diversity Opt B,Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
-
MUH-227 Jazz
Credits:
4.00
Description:
Evolution of jazz from blues and ragtime through Dixieland and the avant-garde experiments of today. Contributions of major soloists, arrangers and composers. Listening, reading and concert attendance.
Term:
Occasional
Type:
Cultural Diversity Opt A,Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
-
MUH-233 The Blues
Credits:
4.00
Description:
Selected topics dealing with the blues from its origins in various Southern regions of the U.S., through its post-war urban relocation, up to modern interpretations in rock, rap, pop, and hip-hop today. Blues music, both technically and culturally, will be considered from the artists perspective as a form of African-American expression and American/African-American oral history, as well as a unique indigenous form of American music. Influences of European, African, Country and Jazz styles will be examined, as well as the themes of race and alienation, and similar socio-cultural influences that have shaped and defined the music over time.
Term:
Occasional
Type:
Cultural Diversity Opt A,Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
-
MUH-331 Music in Film
Credits:
4.00
Description:
This class studies the history and development of film music through reading, lecture and class listening. We investigate the process of film scoring, and how music and its relationship to film have changed over the last century. The class includes discussion and evaluation of different compositional styles and practices to listening critically to film scores while viewing movies.
Term:
Occasional
Type:
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
2. Related Options (maximum of 1 course)
May be chosen from the following:
-
MUH-110 Music Theory
Credits:
4.00
Description:
Topics in music history and theory, including terminology, notation, scales, chords, and basic composition, score analysis and aural skills, historical periods and genres. Assignments include reading, writing, listening, and class discussion.
Term:
Occasional
Type:
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
Notes:
- AP Credit: not applicable
- A maximum of two courses taken at other institutions or as part of a study abroad program may apply toward the minor.
Additional Rubrics:
- Any Seminar for Freshmen with a strong music component (50% or more of course content) may count toward the minor program.
Suggested Course Sequence
Sample Four-Year Curriculum for Music History Major
-
MUH-101 History of Music I
Credits:
4.00
Description:
A chronological survey of Western music from Gregorian chant to the death of Beethoven. Assigned readings, critical listening, class discussion and concert attendance.
Term:
Offered Fall Term
Type:
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
-
MUH-102 History of Music II
Credits:
4.00
Description:
A chronological survey of Western music from Schubert to the present. Assigned readings, critical listening, class discussion and concert attendance.
Term:
Offered Spring Term
Type:
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
-
ENG-101 Freshman English I
Credits:
4.00
Description:
This course studies persuasive and expository writing in the essay form through frequent writing assignments based on critical readings of class texts and discussions. Students will also compose a research paper and study the process of writing and revising for an academic audience. Offered every semester.
Term:
Offered Both Fall and Spring
-
ENG-102 Freshman English II
Prerequisites:
ENG 100 or ENG101 or ENG 103
Credits:
4.00
Description:
Further study of persuasive and expository writing through the study of literary form with emphasis placed on critical reading and the revision of academic writing.
Term:
Offered Both Fall and Spring
-
MATH-130 Topics in Finite Mathematics
Prerequisites:
MATH 104, MATH 108, MATH121 or appropriate math placement score.
Credits:
4.00
Description:
Linear Modeling (for example, using linear functions to model supply/demand situations), graphing, linear programming, financial functions (compound interest, annuities, and amortization of loans) sets, Venn diagrams, counting and combinatorics, discrete probability, conditional probability, Bernoulli experiments, Bayes theorem. Several sections offered each semester. *This course cannot be applied toward a departmental concentration in Mathematics by Sawyer Business School students.
-
SCI-123 Scientific Bases of Modern Problems
Prerequisites:
one semester of a laboratory science,Math requirement (MATH 130 or higher) and Comp Sci req
Credits:
4.00
Description:
A seminar course that explores modern personal, social, and political problems in the world today, such as: stem cell research, genetically modified foods, cloning, exploration of outer space, hurricanes, earthquakes, artificial intelligence, environmental pollution, energy resources, or any other topic that is of current concern and that has scientific/technological components. Course activity is based on class discussion and writing on selected current readings along with outside weekly projects, culminating in a term paper project and presentation. Intended to satisfy the science requirement for the BA degree. Prerequisite: one semester of a laboratory science, mathematics requirement, computer science requirement.
Type:
NATURAL SCIENCE FOR BA BFA & BSJ
Sophomore Year (8 courses/32 credits)
Junior Year (8 courses/32 credits)
Senior Year (8 courses/32 credits)
Total (126 credits required for graduation): 128
*Related Options:
-
MUH-110 Music Theory
Credits:
4.00
Description:
Topics in music history and theory, including terminology, notation, scales, chords, and basic composition, score analysis and aural skills, historical periods and genres. Assignments include reading, writing, listening, and class discussion.
Term:
Occasional
Type:
Humanities & History,Humanities Literature Requirement
