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DartmouthX: DART.MUS.02X Introduction to German Opera

OperaX: An introduction to German opera

Below, please find our syllabus for the course. All information is subject to change and notification to the students in the course. This will be updated throughout the course based on any changes.

Updated on Wednesday, April 12, 2017 by Adam Nemeroff

Course team

This course is being offered by the OperaX team at Dartmouth College as a part of DartmouthX. The following are the members of the course team (edX user names noted in parentheses):

  • Steve Swayne (SteveSwayne), course instructor and both the Jacob H. Strauss 1922 Professor of Music at Dartmouth College.
  • Adam Nemeroff (AdamNemeroff), instructional designer and project lead for OperaX.
  • Dan Maxell-Crosby '02 (danmaxcro), media producer for OperaX
  • Pat Fisken (PatriciaFisken), head of the Paddock Music Library at Dartmouth and librarian for our course team.
  • Memory Apata (memoryapata), Music Library Supervisor at Paddock Music Library at Dartmouth.

This course will not have TAs acting as community members in the discussion board. The course team will attempt to address specific questions as they arise and we encourage knowledgeable members of the course community to support one another.

Course Objectives and Assessments

Course Learning Objectives

During this course, students will:

  1. Trace the history and evolution of German opera from German opera’s origins to the early 20th century.
  2. Analyze and explore the various conventions found in German opera performances.
  3. Practice using close musical listening skills while viewing and listening to German opera.
  4. Practice applying musical analysis skills to examine the dramatic purposes of certain musical moments and gestures.
  5. Create a plan for engaging with opera beyond the course.
  6. Connect and engage with a global community centered around opera.

Learning Assessments, Grading, and Certificates

Learning Assessments and Grading

We will assess these objectives with the following activities and assessments:

  1. Opera Viewing Reports (aka OVR) - 40% (2 x 20% each)
  2. Opera Learning Journals (aka OLJ) - 30% (6 x 5% in each unit of the course)
  3. Knowledge Checks (aka KC) - 30% (6 x 5% in each unit across multiple Knowledge Check problems in the platform).

Opera Viewing Reports: These will be two opportunities you will have in the course to practice applying the knowledge and skills you acquire to the listening and viewing of full-length German operas. You will be provided a rubric for each of these with specific guidelines in the platform. Each of these will be self-assessed for the auditor track and instructor graded for the verified track.

Opera Learning Journals: At the end of each unit, you will be given an opportunity to revisit and reflect on your learning goals and learning outcomes in the course. You will also have an opportunity to think about ways in which you can continue your learning about opera beyond the course experience. Each of these will be prompted reflection activities at the end of each unit.

Knowledge Checks: Throughout the course, you will have opportunities to check your understanding of key concepts, knowledge, and skills in the course. These are designed to be low-stakes formative assessments where you can check your learning and revisit materials as needed. Most of these experiences will appear after instructional materials are presented within the course.

Verified Certificates

Students interested in earning a Verified Certificate in the course must earn a 60% average or higher. Students interested in a verified certificate can find information here. All students in the verified track will receive instructor-provided feedback on the Opera Viewing Reports.

Course Schedule Dates

The first two units of the course will become available on Tuesday, April 11, 2017. The last two units of the course will be available no later than Tuesday, April 25, 2017. All content will open at UTC 13:00 on the release date. The course will run for the next year as a self-paced course on the edx.org platform. Due dates will be set to run through April 10, 2018.

Time Estimates

We estimate that based on the completion of all course activities, most units should take about 3-4 hours to complete. This estimate changes drastically when the full-length opera viewing and Opera Viewing Reports are taken into account. Most of the German operas in the course are upwards of 3 hours to view in entirety. Please take all of this into account as you are planning your course activities.

Academic and Discussion Policy

As members of the OperaX course community, we expect students in our course to be collegial and civil in their behaviors within the course. We direct you to, and will expect you to abide by, the edX Honor Code and Terms of Service. We reserve the right and expect our course community to support the enforcement of these policies in our course community. Because the course will not include TAs to support discussion activities, we encourage individuals to reach out directly to the edX Help Center when issues do arise. We will do our best to be present with the resources we have.

Learners are encouraged to post on our discussion board; however, none of these activities are graded. Please use the discussion space to ask questions and share ideas. If you have a specific question, please make sure to mark as a question in the platform so that your classmates and the course team can best address your questions.

Contact and Communication

  • Announcements - We will use announcements for both ongoing and urgent course updates.

  • Discussion - Please use the designated discussion boards for all course communications.

  • Social Media - Throughout the course please follow and contribute to our social media channels.  A key part of developing a globally community of opera lovers are these types of activities.