Key facts

Type	Weekly Classes
Location	Maidenhead
Address	Methodist Church Hall Allenby Road Maidenhead SL6 5BQ
Dates	Mon 24 Sep to Mon 3 Dec 2012 Day: Monday Time of meeting: 1.30-3.30pm Number of meetings: 10
Subject area(s)	Biological Sciences
CATS points	10
Fees	From £145.00
Application status	Course ended
Course code	E12P559BIW
Course contact	If you have any questions about this course, please email ppweekly@conted.ox.ac.uk.

Overview

Humans have been making music for more than 30,000 years. We are less sure when language started developing, but music and language share some common factors.

Description

Humans have been making music for more than 30,000 years. We are less sure when language started developing, but music and language share some common factors. The main emphasis of this course is on the relationship between the human brain and music but some exploration of language is also included. We will be questioning what constitues music and will be looking at its historical origins. We then focus on how the brain and ears process sounds. Briefly, we will look at how music is used in therapy and education. New research, both on fMRI imaging and on birdsong, is shedding light on how our brains work in the fields of both language and music. In addition we will look at how these human attributes help us express emotions. This introductory neuroscience course is suitable for those with and without previous knowledge.

Programme details

Week 1: General introduction to the course. What is music? What is speech? What is language? Why do we listen to and create music?
Week 2: The origins of music in animals and humans. Scanning techniques.
Week 3: The elements of music and sound. Brief guide to the anatomy of the brain involved in music and language. The autonomic nervous system.
Week 4: The human sense of hearing. Tone deafness. Phenomena such as the cocktail party effect.
Week 5: Recent research on genes involving human speech. Birdsong and its role in shedding light on human speech.
Week 6: Use of music in therapy and education (brief introductions only). Discussion on assignments.
Week 7: Speech, language and communication.
Week 8: Plasticity of the nervous system - music and language aspects.
Week 9: Bodily responses to music. Music and human emotion.
Week 10: Emotional aspects of music: Music in film and ritual. General conclusions from the course and feedback from participants.

Background Reading:
There is no textbook required for this course.
Juslin, PN & Sloboda, JA (2001) Music & Emotion. pub Oxford University Press
MIthen, S (2005) The singing neanderthals pub Phoenix (useful for origins of music and language)
Patel,AD (2008) Music, Language & the Brain. pub Oxford University Press (excellent for detail)
Storr, A (1992) 'Music and the Mind' pub Harper Collins

Staff

Course aims

Course Aim:
To explore the role of the human brain in making and listening to music and language.

Course Objectives:
To gain knowledge of the main areas and structures of the brain involved in music and language.
To gain understanding of recent brain research in the fields of language and music.
To explore the origins of music in man and look at the functions that have evolved.

Assessment methods

Students are encouraged to write an assignment of approxmately 1000 words (option B) OR 2 - 4 short pieces of course work which add up to 1000 words (option A), by week 9 of the course. Advice on how to produce course work will be given during the course by the tutor.

Teaching methods

Short lectures will be interspersed with general discussion and group discussion. Lecture material will be backed up by handout material.There will be some practical elements which are optional. Full use will be made of video clips, sound tapes, and 3-d models of the brain.

Teaching outcomes

By the end of the course students:
To gain knowledge of the main areas and structures of the brain involved in music and language.
To gain understanding of recent brain research in the fields of language and music.
To explore the origins of music in man and look at the functions that have evolved.

Fee options

Programme Fee

EU Fee: £145.00

Non-EU Fee: £145.00

Apply for this course