This document provides guidelines for a term paper assignment that will constitute 20% of the student's final grade. Students must choose a topic from the suggested list or propose their own topic to the professor for approval. The paper does not have a strict length requirement but should be sufficiently supported with evidence and arguments. Students are encouraged to contact the professor throughout the writing process for feedback. The document offers advice on choosing a topic, conducting research, citing sources, and formatting the paper according to standard academic guidelines.

1. 14-110 M4tL
Term Paper Guidelines
The term paper for this course will constitute 20% of your final grade. For your term paper, you must choose a topic below and
research the subject material extensively, citing your sources.
I encourage you to send me your paper, in whatever stage it may be in, throughout the semester for feedback. Choosing your topic
early will let you begin aggregating sources in time to support your ideas.
Important: You must email me your choice of topic early: see timetable for due date
SUGGESTED TOPICS:
*Inform on a 20th
century musical movement or -ism. Futurism, minimalism, expressionism, dadaism,
exoticism, etc.
*Describe the various ways composers embraced or reacted against modernism in the early twentieth century.
*The history and development of a single piece of music, including an analysis
*Trace the course of Innovation in the music of Western civilization throughout the text. If you choose, you
can concentrate on one aspect such as timbre, rhythm, melody, or harmony.
*Develop one of the discussion board topics into a research paper.
*Profile one of the composers discussed in this course. Any paper on this topic needs to include a synopsis of
the composer's life, identify aspects of their musical style, and trace this composer's development giving
specific examples of pieces of music with significance.
You may suggest a topic to Prof. Manchester, though it may not be approved.
Frequently Asked Questions:
“How long?”
The first question most students ask is, “how long should this paper be?” This term paper does not have a length requirement or
restriction. Instead of writing this paper to simply fill space in order to meet an unimportant length requirement, you should focus on
the quality of the content of your paper. However, any idea must be supported by argument and facts, something that often takes a
full paragraph to do. Each idea must receive proper support or the paper is too short.
“How do I start?”
The first thing you need to do is choose a topic. That sounds simpler than it is. I assume that you probably aren’t familiar with many
of the concepts on the list – we'll be covering them this semester! To begin, you might try googling some names to get some basic
information (eg., dates, famous compositions, etc…). You might also listen to samples on Naxos. In other words, choose something
you like – You will enjoy the experience of writing this term paper if you enjoy the subject. Next, refine your choice to give it direction.
Perhaps something controversial that you can take a stand on, or a reinterpretation of widely accepted history. Trust me, you can
make your topic absurdly specific and still find plenty of sources.
“What do I write?”
As you will find in researching sources, there are many to choose from! You should try to avoid painting with a broad brush, but
instead try to write about something specific. However, if a narrow focus results in a paper that isn't substantive, you need to broaden
the scope.
“Where do I go?”
Remember, a term paper is a writing statement backed up by multiple reliable sources. “Reliable” is an important concept. As with all
writing assignments in this class, students may not cite Wikipedia; however, Wikipedia is an excellent source for finding links to other

2. sources which are reliable. Although the internet will be extremely helpful, I also encourage you to investigate other sources including
reference materials available in the library (be sure to look at the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians – we have a volume
in the library and Department of Music!). Google Scholar and Google Books will provide better sources than a simple Google search
would.
http://scholar.google.com/
http://books.google.com/
ALL SOURCES ARE TO BE REPUTABLE AND ACADEMIC. NO EXCEPTIONS. WIKIPEDIA, BIOGRAPHY.COM, and their ilk WILL
NOT BE ACCEPTED.
“What have I gotten myself into?”
You may feel a bit overwhelmed by this project. Don’t let it get you down. Remember that this is supposed to be fun, and more
important, I am here to help you. I strongly encourage you to contact me with any questions you have and I’m happy to meet with you
online via Skype, Blackboard, or simply by email. If you get frustrated, the very worst thing you can do is to not speak with me. The
term paper is a great deal of work, but it is also very rewarding.
Term paper must be typed with using 12-point serif font (eg., Times, Time New Roman). Margins are to be 1-inch, and with the
exception of long quotes, this paper must be double-spaced. All sources must be cited properly in the text (eg., footnotes), and a
bibliography must be included. If you need help, please visit the writing center. In short, follow basic academic writing guidelines
(MLA, Chicago Style, etc. -- whatever you're most comfortable with).